When considering the elementary school grades, it’s important for parents to realize that an excellent elementary school education can help to set up their children for success in high school and even beyond, well into their adult lives. For the elementary school grades, attending a private school can help to make sure that your child receives the individualized attention that they deserve, as well as exposing them to a high number of extracurricular options as well as electives, and can help prepare them for the educational rigor of high school and college (not to mention middle school or junior high).
The best elementary schools are those with a low teacher to student ratio, as those in the elementary school grades often benefit from the emotional support of a close relationship with their teacher or teachers. The majority of local private schools – nearly 90% – have a total student number of less than 300 and college prep school typically have a teacher to student ratio of twelve to one, or even smaller. In fact, in the 2011-2012 school year, the average private school in the United States had fewer than 150 students at an average of 146 students per school.
Private schools can also put an increased emphasis on elementary school curriculum, as they often have more resources to devote to it. Teachers at private schools tend to be highly educated as well, with up to 80% of all of the teachers in a school having obtained or in the process of obtaining an advanced degree, often a masters or even a doctorate. There are nearly 500,000 private school teachers in the United States alone.
These advantages of private schools over public schools have led to an increase in the number of private schools for elementary grades, as well as for middle school and high school (often referred to as college prep). In fact, private schools now make up a quarter of all schools in the United States and they serve over 5 million students between preschool and the end of high school. Private school students are also very likely to graduate high school and move on to a four year college, as statistics have shown that over 60% attend a four year college the fall after they receive their high school diploma.
A private school education can be beneficial for your child or children, particularly for the elementary school grades. It can provide a low teacher to student ratio, helping students to form strong working relationships with their teachers. It can also help graduation rates, and likeliness of attending college, as well as learning from an extensive curriculum filled with extracurriculars and electives.
