Private Schools Provide Your Child with Greater Opportunities to Excel

Were you aware that the United States has 30,861 private schools? These schools serve 5.3 million students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, and account for 24% of this country\’s schools. They also enroll 10% of the nation\’s total pre-kindergarten to 12th grade students.


The benefits of private school have been well-established. First of all, most of these schools have small campuses, and 86% of them have less than 300 students enrolled. The classes are smaller as well, with a student-teacher ratio of 12.4:1 as opposed to the 15.1:1 ratio for public schools. Many public schools have an even higher student-teacher ratio, however.

In 2007, the Fraser Institute conducted a study with the parents of private school students. They determined that 80% of the parents were pleased with their private school\’s academic standards. Furthermore, 91% of the parents said that they enrolled their children in private schools specifically because the teachers were more dedicated than their public school counterparts.

The Fraser Institute study also found that 72% of the parents believed that child\’s school was safe, which is a major concern. In fact, these parents strongly agreed that their children were safe when attending school.

Top private schools are also known for their higher Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported the following average national SAT scores for both public and private high schools:

Public School SAT Scores

• Reading: 497
• Math: 514
• Writing: 489

Private School SAT Scores

• Reading: 541
• Math: 579
• Writing: 550

As a result of participating in a more stringent academic program, more private school than public school students apply to college. Data from the NCES shows that 88% of private high school students apply to college, while just 57% of public high school students apply.

There are, of course, other benefits of attending private schools, such as having a choice between attending a co-educational school or a school that is not co-educational. During the 2011 through 2012 school year, for example, 96% of private schools were co-educational, while 2% with either all-girl schools or all-boy schools.

In addition to the above, there are additional benefits of private school education. Since students will receive more individualized attention, they have a greater chance to excel when attending private school. Furthermore, parents are encouraged to participate in various programs and be involved with their child\’s educational process.