Questions To Ask Yourself Before Spending Money On A Private High School

6 June 2017
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If you are trying to make sure that your child gets the best education possible and is therefore able to get into a college that will make the best use of his or her talents, you will likely be considering private school alongside the public schools in your area. There are a variety of possibilities that you need to consider, such as if your child will be able to be in the same classes with his or her friends, which will make the transition to high school easier, as well as the level of support that your child will receive from his or her teachers. Here are some questions that you should ask before making the decision of private school over public school.

1. What are the school's statistics?

The first thing that you want to consider is the track record of the school. This means how well the students at the school did on the tests that are required for college, as well as what colleges that they got into. There are three specific metrics that you should look at. The first are the ACT and SAT scores of the students that go to the school. Try to get the average score, as well as the median score, so that you can more accurately predict how your student will do. The second is the number of seniors that the school has that are National Merit Commended Scholars or National Merit Finalists. This can help you gauge how much support seniors are getting for these tests. Finally, look at the AP and IB offerings. Taking these courses can help your student prepare for college and even get a few credits before he or she even goes to college.

2. How competitive is the school's culture?

The next thing that you need to look at is the level of competition in the school's culture. If it is very competitive and your child is very competitive, then you have a great match ad your child will thrive. If the school is very competitive and your child is not competitive, then you risk burning your child out in high school and having him or her need to take time off before college or not do as well in college. Try to match your child to the school.

3. What are the class sizes?

Finally, if your child needs extra help, be sure that you go with the school that has smaller class sizes. 

For more information, talk to the private schools in your area.