Are Private Schools Worth the Money They Demand?

Actually, it is quite false that private schools, on average, spend more per pupil than public schools. However, a large chunk of public school per-pupil spending goes for meeting the needs of special needs students (disability, ESL students, etc.), whom the public schools are legally obligated to accommodate. Another chunk goes toward the necessarily larger administrative overhead; whether it's 10 elementary schools or 100 to coordinate, it's going to cost more. Finally, I believe public school teacher salaries are actually higher on average than private schools. So it's really an apples-to-oranges comparison.

The "all comers" aspect of the public schools makes it difficult to compare outcomes. There couldn't be a worse selection bias if you tried! There is evidence, though, that when you control for socioeconomic factors, private school students perform the same or in some cases worse than matched public-school counterparts.

That said, the answer to your question is surely "it depends." On where you live: there are places, for example, with both a reasonable cost of living and very decent public schools. Places where the public schools a mediocre but there aren't better private alternatives. Places where the motivated parent can get their child into a specialized public education setting for free, such as a magnet or charter school. On your kids: are they academically inclined? do they have special needs? what setting are they socially most comfortable in?

I live in the Northeast, which should become relevant in a minute. I attended a Catholic grammar school and the local public high school.

I think it all depends on the child. In terms of higher education what you need is a big fish in a big pond (ultimately, if you can get it). Colleges and Universities are looking for diversity and those students who stood out among their peers. Now, this can be accomplished in a variety of ways, get them Irish Step Dancing and have them win Worlds, colleges will accept them. But, academically, it's harder to do.

My Catholic school was fine. I did have one amazing teacher in the 7th and 8th grade who made everything related to English a breeze from then on because, if you'll pardon my French, she kicked our arses and didn't take any BS and she was a nun. At the time we thought she was Satan in a habit but since I've learned to appreciate her and would call her one of my best teachers ever. After 8th grade 'graduation', many of my classmates went on to all female or all male Catholic high schools, a few to suburban public, and I went to the local, urban, not with the best reputation because I"m a rebel, public high school (Lawrence High in Lawrence, MA for any of you familiar). I came out 3rd in my class (I"m a total school slacker, I learn and retain easily therefore the effort necessary to make it to Valedictorian would have eaten into my social time, any tips on how to change this with my masters program are totally welcome.) with the actual highest SAT score in my class (loads of ESL students) and was accepted to all colleges applied, with the exception of Bowdoin and Tufts, classmates ranked lower than I but of a more ethnic persuasion were accepted at both. (Just for the record, that got me into UMass Amherst, Middlebury, Hamilton College, Tulane University, George Washington University and I think American University.)

Some would maybe make an argument that, yeah, I went to a subpar school and stood out, but how did I do in college?? Well, I went to Tulane, slacker mentality prevailed and I graduated with a 3.3 GPA, BA in Art History and plenty of time on my hands to party hardy at Mardi Gras. Since I've pretty much slacked around for a while without direction and now I'm going for my masters in education from UMass Boston and hope to teach in an urban high or middle school. See,the secret is these schools get LOADS of funding and loads of opportunities and my school, at least, was not plagued by the John Hughes syndrome (nerds, geeks, jocks, slackers), we knew we were all sort of underdogs in the eyes of the surrounding community and we bonded together. If you were in more advanced classes than someone else they didn't label you, they asked for help with their math homework. It was great.

Now, Lawrence High had a program were you could spend a semester at Phillips Andover and I took advantage of this. I will admit it was fun to live there, the food was free and plentiful and yummy, and the classes were interesting (we only took two I think, I took an acting class and Urban Studies which is why we were there, take the poor kids and see how they react, I'm not kidding) and we had to keep up with our work at LHS so our teachers came to visit once a week and we had no problems. My point is Andover has a place BUT the vast majority of people I met there and I think you can check this out, ended up at UMass. A large number of Andover grads do NOT end up at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc because those schools don't want them. They want big fish and you're basically competing with a bunch of people in the same boat as you, at best you're a fish in a fishpond. And I am not disparaging UMass at all, I almost went there, but who spends $20k + on high school for a kid hoping he'll get into the local, public, state University?

And, after all that, my point is, it's all dependent on the child. If you have a smart kid who will do well and needs a bit of a challenge, I'd send them public and not really worry about 'good' districts. (the 'good' district by me has lost all funding for sports, all art and all music, although parents might be able to pay a fee because the override or tax hike or whatever failed.) You can get an education anywhere and everywhere has good, dedicated teachers to help with this. There are also crap teachers everywhere. If your child needs extra attention or extra motivation, I'd go private because that's where they excel and the smaller class sizes would benefit. Students with a tougher time will not slip through the cracks as easily at smaller, private schools. That said, a student, if he or she wants to, can disappear in any setting.

Should I have children, I will struggle with this question myself. My main points right now is that I am adamant that they will pay for their own college education (most of it) and I will not reinvent their room at home in college by hiring a decorator, etc. I think that's stupid.

One thing to remember here is that the public vs. private debate is not an all or nothing proposal. You don't have to commit to either 13 years of one or 13 years of the other. I started kindergarten in a public school and stayed there until second grade, when we moved to a city that had bad public education. In fifth grade, we moved again, this time to a wealthy district, but one whose elementary education was only geared for the "lowest common denominator". By seventh grade, I'd reentered public education, and stayed there until the end of my undergrad studies.

Yes, it's expensive, but when the alternative just isn't feasible, it may be best to consider all the alternatives, one year at a time. From my experience in the schools I went to, "Are you coming back next year?" was a very common question.

To quote Vicki: "My experience is that kids who have learning disabilities, ADHD, Asperger's or other challenges do not do well in private schools. Most private schools look for kids who can do their work without extra motivation, basically, they look for the "good kids.""

I think this alone can reflect the so-called benefits on average as to why a private school is better- they only have kids without significant learning problems and families that are already "buying into" their education. Its only logical parents are more apt to be invested in the outcome of school when they are paying the greenback dollars.

Not that I could afford it anyways- I wouldn't choose private school for my kidlets if I had the money. My kids need to live in a real world- not a fabricated one of monied isolationists. They need to see other life situations- families not necessarily mirroring their own, how other kids with issues work through them, etc. I think my kids learn a great deal of empathy and support for their peers in the inclusive public school classrooms they are in. For example, my daughter (soon to be 9) takes great pride in helping a learning challenged friend catch up to the lesson when she gets back from speech therapy twice a week. I can see some here would say- its not her responsibility, she should be in an environment where she only has to deal with ehr own needs- but to what end? Complete self involvement? It seems we have enough of those types in the world already.

Public Schools are at a disadvantage not because of money - Private schools usually make due with less - but because of philosophy.

Public Schools emphasis on political correctness, diversity & making sure nothing 'damages' a child's self-esteem is misguided & leads to a de-emphasis on things academic. A simple example: whereas in most private schools (forget uniforms for a minute), if a student came in inappropriately dressed, say just wearing a baseball cap, in most cases in public school, teachers wouldn't even take note. They might even be afraid of a lawsuit. In private school, the student would be told to take it off & put it away.

When you think of all the money spent on public education (and I realize the mantra is give us more, more, more) and the poorly educated students they turn out, it's a bit mind-boggling!

Two problems: teachers' union and bloated administration. Teacher's unions understandably look out for their own interests, not the students. They wish for and really have no accountability. In most school districts, it's impossible to fire blatantly incompetent teachers. In NYC, for instance, the really bad ones they segregate to what is commonly referred to as 'rubber rooms'. There they don't teach, they don't do anything except maybe read the newspaper, and there they sit collecting salary, bene's and finally retirement!

I've often wondered why there isn't a Parent's Union looking out for theirs and their children's best interest. The PTA doesn't fulfill that role.

And, if you look at where public schools spend their dollars, too little goes to the classroom. Public schools have overdone bureaucracies with layers upon layers of un-needed personnel, paid very well thank you.

Private schools are far from perfect. I went to parochial schools through high school, and maybe it was my rebellious spirit, but I thought I had to go to college just to make up for what I missed.

For my daughter - 8 years old - we have her in a private school, a very good one. She's in second grade reading at a 6th grade or 7th grade level. No one bats an eyelash. With Math she's only a grade ahead. I pay dearly - 10K a year! And we live in a nice area where the public schools are good. I just figure that we're 'front-loading' the process, giving her a real head start and cultivating her love of learning. Maybe that will pay off, literally, when she gets to college age.

Maybe?

Great discussion, and I learned a lot.  When my parents brought me from China to Hawaii we couldn't afford a private school, but from the sound of it I probably would not have survived in a private school since I did not know English at that time.  In the public school I was able to be excused from English class and go to ESL class and quickly picked up English in about a year.  Then in ninth grade I was accepted to a fairly fancy private school on full scholarship, but our family moved from Hawaii to California and I didn't want to be away from my parents.  So they rented an apartment in a good school district so I could attend the school.  That seemed to be the most economic choice.  Later in my junior year of high school they purchased a home in a town that's seriously a block away from my high school, but happens to be over the county line and was valued a tens of  thousands dollars cheaper than the house next door. 
My high school had a policy that said if you moved out of the district you can still be a continuing student as long as you maintain a B average. 
 I really loved my high school and I don't think I would have fit in in that beautiful private school.  So I do appreciate going to public schools and never really experienced the other choice.  My husband said his parents let him choose his own schools and I think that is what we will let our kids do.  If they like the public school they see then that's great.

I am really struggling with this decision, but we are planning to send our son to public school. Don't look at public and private as an either/or option because sometimes there are other options out there. In our school district, we have magnet schools and that is the option we have chosen. Parents are required to volunteer three hours a year (which I would have done anyway) and you can get a "private school" education on a public school dollar.

Great discussion!

I went to both public and private school. Private through 5th grade, and public thereafter. Private schools are better for self-motivated kids that already would excel in school anyways. I found I did better in public school due to diversity, and the fact that the competition was not as fierce for grades (less stress for me!). My brother, on the other hand, went private schools all the way. It was too stressful for him. He had to repeat the 10th grade... twice.

As a product of 13 years of private education, I think they're totally worth the money. Here's why:

The class sized were extremely small. I had, on average in high school, a 7 or 8 to 1 student-teacher ratio. Imagine trying to daydream or pass notes with only 7 other kids in your class. Not going to happen.

We learned how to shut the hell up. The fear of a ruler on the knuckles is enough to make you stay in your seat and pay attention to the lesson.

No bullies. Seriously. No lunch money bandits, nobody pushing you around, smacking your books to the ground. Not even any real name calling. The overweight kids got picked last for kickball, but no one ever made fun of them for it.

More parental involvement. I've seen a bunch of studies that show that the more parents are involved in their kid's education, the better they do. If a parent is dropping between 5-25k per year, you better believe they're going to make sure they're getting their money's worth.

Everyone else is right: if the kid has some kind of learning or emotional disorder that would require extra help, public schools are probably the way to go. But if the kid is at least an average student and would benefit from tougher academic competition and a stronger sense of community, then you can't beat a private education, especially in the k-8 years.

We started my son in state preschool and switched to a private school because after being constantly guilted into volunteering in the classroom, I noticed too much regarding the kind of kids my kid was going to school with. I think the day the cop's kid and the drug dealer's kid was talking about 'my dad arrested your dad' with expletives all around I decided you know, let's make it through second grade before we deal with guns and meth and the F-word used like salt and pepper, shall we? 

The switch has been great. There are 10 kids in my sons' class. The teachers are ex-public school teachers who didn't want to just record test scores anymore but wanted to actually teach and incorporate the arts. They also flat up don't tolerate that sort of playground banter and behavioral issues.

I went to both and preferred private. My husband did public and has no opinion on it but he too realized we wanted to do a bit of intervention and find a school that reflected our values better.  

Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Both of my sons go to a Christian school. My wife runs the kitchen, so we get a break on tuition. As a public high school drop out, I was adamant about putting our boys in private school. My wife on the other hand did fine in public schools. I tended to be lazy, and in public school there wasn't anyone to push me. I would actually skip school to stay home and read...

I wish my parents could have afforded private school for me, it took me an extra decade to get to the point in life I would have been if I had graduated. Both of my boys are extremely athletic, and will probably want to go to public high school where they can compete in sports. The only sports their school has is soccer and basketball.

for 8 years, then public work-school type high school (very unique for its time, junior/senior years, you went year-round, work 2 weeks, school 2 weeks, had to keep high grade average), then on to Wright State University in Dayton, OH.

You've really hit a nerve with me with this column. I personally hate the snotty attitude most roman catholics have about their parochial school educations and how they love to badmouth the public schools when in most cases they don't have a clue what it's like to leave their little smalltown german/irish catholic neighborhoods their whole lives. I know whereof I speak; I was catholic for 30 years. Dayton, OH, is a catholic town like many in the U.S. In my 7th and 8th grade years in particular back in the late 60s and early 70s, there were almost no nuns teaching in my parochial school anyway. In my school, they were replaced by an extremely unhappy Latin American guy who hated North Americans, an ex-military officer who'd wear his uniform daily and was very much out of place, and an unhappy young black woman into black power (and all white kids sitting in front of her). So much for a catholic education. I was only 1 of 8 kids who did not attend the local catholic high school, and I COULD NOT WAIT to be away from the catholic education system and everything to do with it, and I have never regretted it. I seriously, seriously doubt that its system has changed a whit. My niece absolutely hated the abovementioned catholic high school and lasted a month there. Again, the snotty attitudes prevail. Bravo for homeschooling in particular, bravo for alternative schools and for trade-type schools.

... are really advantages. For instance, I opposed standardized testing—and I still do, if it's the only form of evaluation. But because of the testing, our public middle school arranged the schedule so kids would have an extra math or English class each day. And they really focus on giving the kids good study skills as well as good test-taking skills.

And having to accomodate all types of kids also worked well for my daughter. It's called "differentiated learning," and it means that instead of lecturing at kids you present the material in a variety of different ways. I pulled my younger daughter out of Catholic school in fifth grade, because she wasn't doing well, and put her in public school. I saw an immediate difference: She was happier and more enthusiastic about learning, and her grades skyrocketed. I kept my older daughter in the parochial school, where the kids sat in their seats all day and listened to the teachers lecture them, often using lesson plans that were older than the students. She hated school, and I hated the huge amounts of homework they loaded on the kids (so the parents could feel they were getting their money's worth).

Not only was the Catholic school academically inferior, it was worse in other ways as well: The teachers yelled at the kids and some were verbally abusive, they played favorites, and bullying was common and often tolerated. I really regret not moving my older daughter to public school earlier. Now she is thriving in a public high school where over 95 percent of the students go on to college, some to very good schools.

A lot does depend on the individual schools, but I really think a good public school—not even necessarily a magnet or charter school—has a lot to offer. I'd check that option out first before shelling out for private school. Save the money for a good college instead. That's what I'm doing.

I wrote about my plans to send my sons to private school on my blog and that post got the most insulting comments I've ever received to date. I attended both private and public school when I was growing up and given where I now live, I'll be paying for private school.

My children will consistently have high-quality teachers (I know not all are amazing, but I think a greater percentage are), a challenging curriculum, and a well-maintained campus with well-equipped classrooms and facilities. While I know that they will almost inevitably be exposed to drugs, it is much less likely that they will be exposed to gangs and gang violence (I live in Los Angeles). They will be in an environment where academic achievement is respected and admission to the country's top colleges for a good portion of each graduating class is expected. A smaller student body will give my children a greater chance to form relationships with friends and faculty and to find a niche they are comfortable in and hopefully a place to excel. I know that I was better off, socially, at my private schools than at my public schools.

What you are forgetting is the third choice. Home education. So many people are heading in this direction now. With home school groups in just about every town in America and curriculum aids of all kinds, there really is no better way to go. Home education is the best bang for your buck. The best education without the heavy bill of a private school. Both parents can pitch in their own personal strong points in the education while enjoying the time with their child. No more trying to find time to spend with the child.
Living in the right district is no issue or even living close to a private school. The curriculum is soley your choice. The class can be no smaller. And children do not need equipment, they need books and life.
And as far as the myth of "what about social life" goes, that is a non-issue. I can tell a home educated child from a mile away by the interaction they are able to have with adults. How many governement-educated children really, and I mean really, have conversations with adults. Shouldn't that be what you are preparing your children for is life in the adult world.
Not that I havent seen many fine adults come from the government and private sectors of education. But home is really where education was meant to happen.
One of the best philosophies of education I have seen is of Charlotte Mason. Check out ... www.ambleside online.com.

I attended parochial schools K-12. In 8th grade at the local Catholic school, I decided not to be confirmed and that I vehemently disagree with much of the religious doctrine. So, I resented attending 4 more years of religion class. I also wished for more fun electives, and begged to go to public school so I could take shop class or auto repair alongside my AP courses.

I didn't realize what a tremendous gift my parents had given me until I went to a public college. I loved the warm and engaging people I met at my university, but was extremely disappointed in the academic level of my peers. I had been writing 6+ page papers as a HS freshman, and up to 20 pages as a senior in AP English. In my college freshman Honors English course, we were challenged to write less than half what I had done in HS. The grammar and diction in the papers I peer-edited were substandard; I, in turn, gained little from my peer editors. In my non-Honors courses, some of my classmates wrote so poorly that I wondered how they were ever admitted to college! It was hard to find the push I needed to really develop further in college, when the starting point for the class was much lower than my HS courses were.

I know I'm an academic elitist, and most people would shame me for such behavior. I feel compassion for bright students who care but don't have access to better teachers. However, it only makes sense to compete with those at or near your own level. Few would fault a pro athlete for declining to play in a pick-up game. (FWIW, I'm a crappy athlete)

My parents put me through a Christian school K-4, a different Christian school 5-8, then (very good) public highschool, then a private university.

I had friends who "did school" all over the spectrum (Christian private, secular private, parochial, public, and homeschooling), and I think it gave me a good perspective on the way ALL of these methods can shine... or fail (yes, even homeschooling).

In the end, it depends on the parents, the child, the environment, and the child's phase in life. There is no one-size-fits-all solution; the most important thing is to be involved in your kids' schooling and be open to change if things aren't working.

I have to agree with the poster above. I know a few families that homeschool. One is a crazy rightwing witch. Yes, there are plenty of decent Republicans. But this one is one of those nutty racist flat earth types who practically spits with rage whenever she opens her mouth. It would be nice for children to be raised in an environment that's a little less, uh, angry. It might do her kids good to hear that somebody else could actually feel differently than Mother. I'm sure the kids look cute arguing for the Gold Standard and the flat tax, but they are like little pissed off robots.

Another is a sweet but wifty liberal mom. She would never pressure her precious snowflakes to do anything--she "unschools" them. The kids are delightful and charming. The teenage boy loves woodworking, which he basically figured out for himself. Reading, however, he has not figured out. At age 15. He probably has a learning disability. But there was never a reading expert who observed him and helped to correct him at a time of life when his young brain was being formed. But now, it could be too late. And even if it isn't, there's nothing going on in that home that would encourage him to take up an activity that requires self-discipline like learning how to read.

I have been solely educated by public schools and I feel that I have a major disadvantage as compared to those who were educated in the private school system. For one, I don't earn all that much money relative to my great number of years of schooling and there has been no networking for me despite this being the way most jobs are gotten these days. Plus, public schools are just like the public sector--let's see how cheaply we can do everything! If you want a chance at a decent existence and some luxuries in life, go for private schooling. If you want to attend lower class schools without a hint of opulence, no one to network with, and a lower middle class existence, do what I did. Trust me!

in puerto rico 1 out of 7 students goes to private schools.

the reasons: religious education, security, better performance on the College Board Test than their public counterparts, bilingual education, less political intermission, parents participation is more promoted.

questions that parents should ask themselves: how did the state (government) got the education control out of the hands of the family and what does it use that control for?

the govt entity sacred duty regarding education should be to be vigilant that all children be educated according to an appropriate flexible curriculum approved by law but, should not impose its monopolistic system based on economic limitations. for the contrary, it should promote, via vouchers or tax credits, the parents decision on that, and also having some good public schools available as part of the education offers to the citizens.

I have been doing extensive research on this, and I am thrilled to have stumbled upon this forum.

I went to Catholic/private lower/middle/high school and public college. The difference was mind-blowing for me. I have a son now so I'm concerned with this debate now more than ever.

I'm leaning heavily toward a private/independent institution, at least through lower and middle school.

I just don't think you can put a price on the networking and exposure aspects that a private school can offer. My wife is a NYC public school teacher and she sees what normally goes on in your run-of-the-mill NYC public school. The very best kids usually end up bored, the struggling kids get left behind, and the middle of the pack kids just get by.

One thing that concerns me is the cost. While I find the tuition to be really pricey, what bothers me more is that they just set their prices based upon WHAT? The fact that rival schools charge that much? Their operating costs? Their locations? Their payroll? How can every school in Manhattan and Brooklyn be $28,000-$32,000? I feel that they just make their costs the same as the other schools, just so they aren't perceived as being cheap or less prestigious, not because it actually costs that student that much for the education.

We tried all three options; private, public and homeschool. Homeschool wins hands down. Flexible, as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be, total freedom to pursue different methods and special interests, week long field trips/vacations in the uncrowded seasons, and a great community of like minded people to share expertise and equipment. Read "How to Home School" by Gayle Graham or "The Right Choice" by Chris Klicka before dismissing this as an option.

I realize I'm a johnny-come-two-years-late to this discussion, but I think the points raised are even more relevant today than they were two years ago. Interestingly enough, our current economic downturn has made private schools an attractive option for a lot of families. State budget-tightening means that public schools are cutting back even more on what they offer. Too often this results in an increase in class size and reduction of classes, subjects and services. Many parents - who previously may have never even considered private education - are investigating whether private schools could work for their families because they are not willing to compromise their child's education and future.

Of course, the economic downturn has also meant that affording a private school education is not as easy as it once was for many families. Some are looking for increased financial aid (which many schools have beefed up in response to the economy), tuition assistance from grandparents, and/or cutting back on other areas of their household budget to be able to keep their children in private schools.

So my question is - What do you think? Does the economic downturn and the crisis in our public schools make private schools a more attractive option for families?

Wow! What a great forum! I think as moms we are constantly searching for the best for our children. A lot of people associate better with money. Unfortunately it is impossible to compare public to private, because there are so many different types of private and public schools. I attended parochial schools from 1st to 12th grade. It was very much a "bubble", but I'd say it was a good experience in grammar school, not necessarily in high school though. My father had 8 children, six of whom were girls, so Catholic schools were the only option in his eyes. I will say that we went to the "lower income" catholic school, not the elite schools, so there was never any "holier than though" attitude from students. We were taught social justice and became one big family in grade school.
In high school I was envious of a few friends who left the Catholic school to attend charter high schools. There was so much more opportunity at some of the public high schools in the arts, drama, etc. I feel like I missed out on a lot due to lack of programs at my catholic high school.

My eldest son is attending his 4th year in public school in the fall. It is so close to home that we walk to school. It is very easy for me to be involved due to proximity.

The biggest thing to remember is that we as parents can enrich our children in so many ways. The money that we save on private schooling goes to college funds, music lessons, outside sports leagues, etc. etc.
I will say this though, when looking for schools, go backward. Pick the high school first, then find the path to get them there. Sounds odd but I've slowly discovered this in the past few years.
Good Luck!

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to add that in a private school, we are academically better than a lot of other public schools but not so much that (in Australia) it would be easy to get into an Ivy League, Oxford or Cambridge, or to do Law or Med at USyd or UNSW or ANU. The academically "better" performance is limited to some students - as I'm sure it'd be the same in a public school.

Your husband might be right about some public schools not having labs as nice as those in private schools, but I don't think that's true of public schools in Northern Virginia! Our two children were lucky enough to have excellent teachers and wonderful facilities (including excellent science labs) throughout their 13 years of public education. In fact my son had 14 years of public education, because he had a disability that qualified him for special ed preschool. He also had speech therapy, physical therapy or an adapted PE curriculum, and either a classroom aide or a personal assistant from preschool through the middle of tenth grade! No private school we visited (and we checked out several) could offer that level of support. Both of my children also attended public universities -- the University of Virginia in my daughter's case, the University of Maryland College Park in my son's. My daughter liked UVA so much that she returned and earned her law degree there! Neither one of them got "lost in the shuffle."

I am currently a Senior in a Catholic High School...but went to public school every year up until 9th grade. In my experience the public schoolwork seemed to be much harder than the catholic/private school. I also only get maybe 15min to about an hour or so MOST nights, while my public school friends end up having maybe one hour to three hours.

I understand it would be different for every area, but in my area on Long Island the private school seems to be worth the investment. This is coming from a current student who for 9th grade hated the idea of a catholic/private university because it really wasn't worth the tuition (I mostly hated the uniform and am not very religious but $ was the only mature reason I could come up with haha).

I felt like my school had much better funding overall for programs, classes, and nearly everything else. My school is fairly big on sports and theatre too, so nearly every area a child would be interested would be covered. My friends who didn't go to my school often complained about how something wasn't funded properly, or that the school needed to get something better than whatever it had.

While funding and stuff like that kind of made the tuition kind of acceptable for me after 9th grade, what I found the best reason for me to go to Catholic High Schools was the environment (again, this is specific to my school most likely). While in my public school district we did have many talented students, their was a fairly large population of students who seemed like they were in school only because it was required, and didn't care about anything that had to do with school. They had little to no plans for college, and many sat down to take the SAT (Public HS was the test center nearest to me and my HS wasn't one) but I could see that they didn't care. Many simply stared out the window.

In my Catholic HS, it seemed like the student population was mostly the upper tier athletes, academically gifted students, or great artists and singers. Most of my friends in the football and basketball teams were very smart, and managed to maintain overall averages of over 90, with at least five of the athletes having maybe 95+. I say this only because I used to think that athletes were really jocks who weren't the brightest and got by on their athleticism.

Of course not everybody was a shining star, but there must have been a very little amount of students who seemed borderline pass/fail. I would maybe hear mention of a troublesome kid once or twice a year, and everybody was fairly focused on their studies or the programs they were involved in. Guidance counselors were extremely helpful (In my cousins public HS in NJ, his GC barely helped with the little things, so my GC ended up giving me info I passed on to him), colleges were more inclined to come to our school and meet with the students and offer help if we had/have any questions. We had a great library and a whole wired/connected computer system schoolwide (it sound impressive but some of the features the school had were fairly amazing and extremely useful...these were features I knew the public HS didn't have.)

I know I sound extremely biased by only listing the pros for a Private and the cons for a Public, but I really wrote this for reasons to go to Private over Public. I'm sure not every, not even a majority, of public schools are bad...hell, my public school district is considered a good school district, and I'm sure not every Private school would give you the same experience I had, but you should give them both a try.

In the Private school I had a better friends circle I guess, and the fact that classmates weren't made up of students who seemed like complete idiots kind of brushed off good habits for me. Students worked hard in school, and had priorities in order. Students also seemed much nicer from my perspective, although in public school I never had a problem of not getting along with anyone, but I would see my friends being mean to other kids, or having unofficial gangs in a way. In the Catholic school though even the "gangsters", jocks, theater, geeks, emo kids were nice to each other. You could walk up to a seemingly stupid football player and have an intelligent conversation, and nerds could talk to the most beautiful girl in school and become friends easily. People weren't discriminated against and were generally more accepting.

I still hate the uniforms (Sr. sweaters are dope though), and some of the rules in the Catholic high school are very stupid (facial hair is apparently offensive...) but all in all I do think it was worth it. I would say even if your school district is average (not rundown and crime-filled but not great either) (definition redundant I know) I would at least look into private/catholic high schools in your area to see how much of an improvement they are.

In terms of private/public university I don't know how much it would matter, but I am still appying to colleges (both public and private). I'm not choosing a college on whether or not it is private or not, but private colleges do seem much more expensive. Public Universities are still great, and in many respects better than private colleges. SUNY and CUNY schools are amazing and incredibly cheap. In California the UC schools like UCLA and the like are amazing as well. I'm sure others are as well but those were the main colleges I looked into, along with a couple private schools.