One of the major battles in education today is the opposition facing both public and private schools. Advocates of public schools deem private schools elitist and private school supporters feel that public schools are overcrowded and underfunded.

Unfortunately, parents are caught in the middle. Are they not giving their child the best education possible by sending them to public schools? Will their child be too isolated in a private school? All parents must face these decisions once their children reach school age. We want to give our kids the very best and prepare them for a great and successful future – it just isn’t easy.

Private schools have much more leeway when it comes to many areas of schooling. They are privately funded, usually by individuals, corporations, grants, donations, and fundraising. Public schools must follow state and federal rules at all times because they are funded by federal, state, and local taxes. 

A public school must be open to admission to all students. There is no vetting process on the public school level. However, private schools are very competitive. Students must submit an application and be approved before being allowed to enroll. They are under no obligation to accept any students.

As private schools are privately funded they have freedom when it comes to curriculum development. They can choose to specialize in certain areas, such as art or music.  Public schools must follow a state created curriculum and student progress is strictly monitored by the use of standardized testing.

Teachers in public schools must be certified by the state. They must undergo background checks and take classes to renew certification regularly. On the other hand, not all private schools require certification.  A teacher may be hired if she specializes in a certain area and has a college degree. Private school teachers must also undergo background checks.

It is a myth that private school teachers earn much less than public school teachers. The pay is sometimes more at private institutions. The difference is in the retirement. All public schools have a retirement program for teachers, not all private schools offer retirement benefits.

The deciding factors for most parents come down to money. Public schools cannot charge for their services but private schools do. An average year at a private school will cost mom and dad around 14,000 to 16,000 a year. There are some states that offer a school voucher program where money is directed to the parents instead of the school districts so parents have the choice of choosing and paying for private education.

Sources:

1 http://www.medicare.gov/nursing/Alternatives.asp