All parents are deeply invested in the education of their children, since a good education is the key to any child’s future success. This means that when a child becomes old enough for preschool or kindergarten, or when the family moves to a new county or city, the parents will look online to find the best preschools or best private grade schools in the area. There are also private middle schools and high schools, and private high school graduates often go on to college. An Internet search like this requires some specific phrases so the clients can find the right type of school in the area, such as “private schools near me” along with their city name or even ZIP code. Public schools can be found much the same way, along with both public and private preschools.
Finding Preschools
An older child will need a search for “private schools near me” or “good public high schools,” and children aged three to five may be sent to preschools in the area. Preschool in the United States is not mandatory, but all the same, many parents are sending their children there, more than ever. The rate of preschool attendance has risen substantially from 1990 to 2008, and a child who attends preschool will be better prepared for elementary school. The child will learn how to learn, get used to following directions from adults who aren’t their parents, and meet their peers.
Looking for a preschool means an online query such as “best rated preschools near me” or “best private schools in Boston MA”, for example. Searches like these will bring up a whole list of results, and parents may strike out preschools that aren’t accepting new students or those deemed too far away. The family can visit the rest in person on a tour, to get a fair impression of the campus. The parents may consult the teachers there and review their credentials, such as work history, educational background, and any awards or recognition they may have. The child, meanwhile, will form his or her own opinion of the school and staff, and if the child likes it there, that school may be a good candidate. This process can be repeated any number of times until the parents find the most suitable school, and enroll their child.
Finding a Middle or High School
Meanwhile, a K-12 education is certainly mandatory, and parents may conduct an online search for these schools, too. As with finding preschools, the parents may use specific searches for the type of school their child needs: elementary, middle, or high school. The parents will also specify their area, such as their city name or even their ZIP code to keep the results local. What is more, the parents may specify whether they are looking for a public or private school. A search may look like “best public middle schools Los Angeles” or “top private schools near me Miami FL.”
As with preschools, the family may tour schools that they find in a results page, and the child will be old enough to voice his or her opinion of each school and describe what they want from a school. Some prospective students want a dedicated art program to join, or perhaps a well-funded sports team or swim team or even a marching band.
Why search “private schools near me” or something to that effect? Private schools make up one in four schools in the U.S. and enroll 10% of American students, and they may offer a superior education. These schools are privately funded and run, hence the name, and they charge tuition to the families of students. In exchange, the students will be instructed by top-tier teachers with extensive credentials, and these schools often have well-funded sports teams and extra curricular activities, too.
Teachers at private schools report much lower incidence rates of student apathy than public school teachers do, and private high schools offer more college counseling services than public ones. Over 90% of public high school grads go on to college, compared to 48% of public high school grads. Still, if parents search carefully, they can find public middle or high schools that offer an excellent education as an alternative to private schools, if they want.
