6 Reasons to Send Your Child to a Prep School

The choice of selecting the right school for your child is a hard one. Deciding between public and private schools can be a hard thing to do. Today, about one-quarter of all schools in the United States are prep schools. It has been estimated that in 2016, about 2.63 million kids were studying at private schools around the country. If you are thinking about private schools, there are true benefits of prep schools. Here are a few of the benefits of private school education:

  1. The class size is smaller. The ratio of students to teachers is much better in prep schools. One thing people often notice when they attend public schools or go in to see how they are are is just how many students each teacher has to deal with. This means that each child gets less attention and the class has to be taught to a group. Individuals who move through the materials at a slower, or faster, pace may not get when they truly need to succeed in school or in life.
  2. Your child will receive the attention they need. Students are given the individual attention they need in private education programs. Not only are the classes smaller but there are often more programs that kids can be a part of in a private school setting. There are more options for kids in private schools than in public schools to nurture them, give them the support they need, and access to the resources they want.
  3. The school will support their individual interests. Not every student wants the same things or had the same interests. For example, some students are interested in fine arts, while others are more interested in science. While all students learn about both fine arts and science, if there are children who want to get more education in one area or another, they are more likely to have that chance in a private school setting.
  4. You will be part of a larger community. When you enroll your child in one of the prep schools around the nation, you are also joining a community. Most prep schools expect parents and family members to be active in the student\’s education and development. For many public schools, parental involvement is not encouraged. It has been reported that nearly one-quarter of all public school educators find too much parental involvement as a problem. Only about 3% of private school educators have that opinion.
  5. Your child will be treated as a three-dimensional person. It is hard for teachers at public schools do not have the time to get to know their students and learn about who they are as individuals. This is not true when it comes to the people who work at prep schools. In public schools, many of the teachers have to spend their time \”teaching to the test\” to make sure their students get the scores they need them to get on tests to get the funding the schools need. This is simply not how things work in private schools.
  6. Your child will be safe. While students should be safe in any school, that is not always the case. Private schools can have a level of security that public schools cannot have. Because the staff spends so much time working with their students, they can see problems coming on the horizon and have the chance to work them through with the student in question so that small problems stay that way. When people know they are being treated with respect but that they are also being watched a bit, it deters them from behaving badly. When students do act out, there are more people available to step in and do something before the issue grows to a level to impact other people.

Picking the right school for your child, your family, and your situation can take a long time and it is a good idea to not rush the process. Taking some time talking to other parents and going to visit the schools you are considering can also make this decision a lot easier for you and your child. One other important thing you can do is keep them involved in the process.