What is one benefit of attending a private school as a high school student?
To help parents who are considering high school options for their teens, we asked education experts and business leaders this question for their best advice. From enjoying smaller class sizes to emphasizing holistic development, there are several reasons to help you decide if private school is the right fit for your child.
Here are eight advantages of going to a private high school:
- Provide a Specialized Focus
- Enjoy Smaller Class Sizes
- Access More Resources
- Experience a Commitment to Languages
- Prepare for College Workloads
- Score Higher in College Placement Exams
- Emphasize Holistic Development
- Focus on High Academic Standards
Provide a Specialized Focus
Private schools often have something unique to offer in terms of the educational experience they can provide their students. For example, high school students who are more artistically inclined can go to an arts boarding school. Or for those with professional ambitions in a particular sport, there are also private schools known for their sports programs. Whatever your core interest may be, there is probably a private school out there to attend that can give you a slight edge in college or your career goals in the future.
Jacob Villa, School Authority
Enjoy Smaller Class Sizes
A huge benefit from my time in private school, though my experience was before high school, was the class sizes. Most of my classes were pretty small, and I felt known by most of the teachers in the school. It benefited me that more teachers knew me and reached out when I needed help and was maybe a bit too shy to ask for it. I switched to public school a couple of years later, and the classrooms were more crowded. I still did very well in the long run, but having teachers in the private school setting that could make more personal connections and reach out to me if they saw me struggling was a great bonus. It built my confidence in knowing that others cared and that asking for help wasn’t a bad thing.
Hunter Blackwell, Markitors
Access More Resources
A benefit of attending a private school as a high school student is that private schools often have many resources that other schools do not have. These can include a better education since private schools often attract some of the best teachers in a particular city. The schools may also offer more Advanced Placement classes that are helpful to students when applying to colleges. Another benefit is access to board members at the private school who can often help students get internships or good summer jobs.
Shaun Price, MitoQ
Experience a Commitment to Languages
Students in private high schools are often bilingual or multilingual. As bilingual education is becoming increasingly important, private schools offer a wide range of languages taught by suitable professionals that are challenging to find in a simple language school: Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, or German. In addition, fluency in one or more languages is essential in today’s job market and for the development of your future life.
Miruna Cristina Necula, PhotoAiD
Prepare for College Workloads
When attending private school, they are truly preparing students for college. It is assumed if you are attending private school, you have the means to attend college. The amount of work that teachers give to students at a private school is more along the lines of what to expect in college. Public high school still prepares students for college but does not provide the same amount of work as a private school may.
Anthony Santomo, Gourmet Growth
Score Higher in College Placement Exams
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress examination results in recent years, students in American private schools have higher average scores in all subjects than students in public schools. American private school students score higher than public school students in the college entrance examination, and private school students have a significantly higher graduation rate after school. These two advantages benefit from the higher standards of private schools, which can be seen from the fact that private schools provide more courses to implement the educational philosophy they insist on. The educational philosophy of private schools is very different from that of public schools. Public schools emphasize the national examination and educate by the requirements of the studies, while private schools mainly develop students’ curiosity and make students eager to learn throughout their lives.
Abby Ha, WellPCB
Emphasize Holistic Development
As I see it, the foundation years of schooling and the high school phase are the most crucial components of schooling. What teenagers learn at high school stay with them forever as traits of their personality. Moreover, what they learn at high school and the quality of education and learning they receive in this phase determines the colleges or universities they will be accepted to. Hence, I am of the opinion that students should attend a private school in their high school years. In private schools, the focus is on holistic personal development, laying emphasis on skill-building, shaping intellectual perspectives, and inspiring a greater sense of confidence in students. These are the traits that interviewers will be looking for in students when they interview them for college or university admissions. Another interlinked benefit of private schools is a more progressive teacher-to-student ratio that facilitates holistic learning in a better way.
Jessica Robinson, The Speaking Polymath
Focus on High Academic Standards
Private schools offer more rigorous academic standards than public schools, including more criteria involving coursework and work quality. Graduation requirements are generally more demanding as well. Private school students typically perform above the national average. This puts them at a greater advantage of higher academic achievement than public high school students.
Rym Selmi, MiiRO
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