Private schools. Just the words conjure up an image of students sitting dutifully in their chairs while wearing uniforms, raising hands to answer questions, and generally behaving themselves. This dichotomy, when private schools are compared to public schools, raises questions about our view of schools in America.
Public schools are considered, by some, to be a disaster, with public education considered a laughingstock by many, While there are a millions of Americans that cannot afford to send their children to a private school, this does not denigrate the public school in any way. There certainly are challenges for students and teachers and administrators.
One of the biggest issues within public schools is the lack of experienced teachers. An experienced teacher is defined as someone who has years of experience in the field and knows what to do in numerous situations when it comes to schooling. They know how to manage a classroom, impose discipline, and make lesson plans.
Another major issue within public schools is the administration. Many believe that the culture of the school and the level of discipline imposed in a school starts with the administrators, most notably the principal but also the dean of students and other people in higher levels of command.
The reason is that they can either support their teachers or not, and this can make a significant aspect when it comes to discipline and the use of consequences in the classroom. An administrator who does not support their teachers or supports the students over the teachers will cause problems in the classroom.
Another major issue within the public system has to do with the students themselves. The students are often seen as a nuisance and as having behavioral issues and while many of them do have special education files, many of them simply come from difficult home circumstances. It’s difficult to learn when there’s no food in the refrigerator.
For all these issues, many families choose to send their children to private schools. Private schools, even if they are parochial (meaning they are associated with a particular religion), have a better reputation of educating students and getting them prepared for college or beyond.
There are some statistics about private schools that are worth noting. They are:
- More private school students in 2011?12 were enrolled in kindergarten (449,819) than in any other grade level.
- The average school size in 2011?12 was 146 students across all private schools.
- 96% of all private schools in 2011?12 were coeducational, while 2 percent enrolled all girls and 2 percent enrolled all boys.
- Of the 305,842 private high school graduates in 2010?11, some 64 percent attended 4-year colleges by the fall of 2011.
- There are 33,619 private schools in the United States, serving 5.4 million PK-12 students.
- Private schools account for 25% of the nation’s schools and enroll 10 percent of all PK-12 students.
- 87% of private schools have fewer than 300 students.
- Typically 60 to 80% of private school teachers will have an advanced degree.
- Small class sizes with student-to-teacher ratios of 12:1 are fairly common at college prep schools.
- According to the Condition of Education 2016 report, in the 2013-14 school year, 4.1 million students were enrolled in private school from prekindergarten to eighth grade. In the 2011-12 school year, only 4 million students were enrolled in private school from prekindergarten to eighth grade.
- According to the Condition of Education 2016 report, there were 441,000 private schools teachers in the 2013-14 school year.
These statistics show numerous things, most notably that private schools have fewer students than public schools, have a better student to teacher ratio, teachers with advanced degrees, and have a high rate of students who attend four-year colleges after graduation. These statistics tell a story that is different than public school stats.
There are many parents that are looking to enroll their children in public schools. They ask the question ‘where can I find private elementary schools near me?’ This question, ‘where can I find private elementary schools near me,’ can be asked to a person. Also, ‘where can I Find private elementary schools near me’ can be typed into a search engine.
‘Where can I Find private elementary schools near me’ is an important question. Other terms are ‘private schools in Miami,’ ‘private school education,’ ‘private school curriculum,’ and ‘advantages of private schools over public schools.’
