Public School vs. Private School: How To Decide

Parents always want what’s best for their children, which sometimes means making hard decisions that will impact on their future.

I recently pulled my children out of a private school and moved them to the local public school – and for me and my family – its been the best decision we’ve ever made!

One of the biggest decisions a parent will make when it comes to their kids involves their education, and deciding between private and public school is often a part of this. So how can parents make a decision that could impact their child for years to come? Well, at times like this, we always find it best to look at the pros and cons of each option, to better gauge what’s important to us.

Public School Pros And Cons

Public schooling has served millions of Australians over the years, and for many parents, it is exactly what they want for their children. With connections to the local community, due to the ‘feeder area’ nature of admissions, and a significantly reduced cost commitment, public schools have a lot to offer. As public schools tend to be larger, there are more chances for children to make friends, and befriending children from all different walks of life has a marked impact on your child’s own perspective.

Now, that’s not to say there aren’t cons to public schooling as well. Public schools tend to have much larger class sizes, which means kids have less one-on-one attention with their teachers. The schools also draw together children from all kinds of socio-economic levels, which puts some kids at risk of falling in with the wrong crowd. Along with that, parents may find public schools don’t cater well for gifted children, with most materials being designed for the masses. In some areas, but not all, public schools may also only provide outdated learning materials and equipment.

Private School Pros And Cons

Private schools are often preferred to parents over public schools for a number of reasons. Depending on how you look at it, there are certainly some pros about private schools, including that they tend to have smaller class sizes, better quality materials and school equipment and a more flexible curriculum that they’re able to tailor to suit your child.

The negatives of a private school start with the higher cost of attending, which often has to be paid upfront. There are also other costs such as a specific uniform, which isn’t always available outside the school shop. Other cons include the fact that the schools are harder to get into, and tend to have a more competitive community that can lead to student stress. They may also not have the diversity of curriculum available at a public school, thanks to the large sums of taxpayer dollars that go into developing the public curriculum.

Another thing to consider with private schools is that in many cases, the schools are religious. Now this isn’t always the case, but parents need to think about the schooling experience they want their child to have, and whether religion plays a part in that. If not, it’s worth noting that in many private religious schools, opting out of religious education is not an option.

What Serves Your Child Better?

You might be surprised to learn that, despite an assumption that a private school education ultimately leaves your child better off, multiple studies have found that the school your child attends has no impact on their academic achievements. In fact, a socio-economic status was the key indicator in most of the studies as to whether a child would perform well at school, along with associated factors such as the number of books in the household and whether the child’s parents completed year 12.

With that in mind, it seems that the argument for public schools vs. private schools is less about the supposed benefits in terms of academic merit, and more about the ‘experience’ of attending school. Deciding between public and private means taking a lot of things into account, both in terms of the school and the child or children involved.

My personal hints for choosing a school:

• Don’t be scared to change schools if your child isn’t happy…..You can change your mind!
• Talk to the Principal to see how the school might be a good fit for your child.
• Listen to your child…. Follow up on any negative experiences and see how the school responds to your concerns.
• Sometimes public schools can be better than private schools!

Parents need to look closely at the nature of their child, the availability of both kinds of schools in their areas, and their own expectations about their child’s educational experience before making this important decision.