Private School versus Public School

July 30, 2007

With the new school year arriving quickly, as they always do, it seemed appropriate to discuss the differences between private school and public school. This is especially important after we have heard so many, many stories recently about public school teachers, male and female, molesting students, male and female.

Around six and a half million American school children attend over 28,000 private schools. This number does not include the approximately three million home-schooled children, which some countries in Europe and around the world are trying to outlaw. Over the past decade or so, Christian schools have seen about a 50-percent increase in enrollment, while public schools enrollment figures over the same time period rose only about 10 percent. Private school enrollment is around 11.7 percent of all students.

In recent years, surveys have showed that by a margin of nine to one, American parents believe parents should have the right to choose their child’s school. If they were given a choice of schools, and had the financial means to do so, 55 percent of parents who currently send their children to public schools would choose to send them to private schools.

The average tuition for elementary students in private school in recent years has been around $3,200. Let’s take this number and see how easily it could be reached. Not dining out one time per week at a cost of $60 per dinner would save you $3,120. The difference between an entry level BMW and a Toyota Camry is roughly $17,000. Averaged over five years that is $3,400. The Difference between a Chevy Tahoe and a Honda CR-V, again, is approximately $15,000 averaged over five years and there is just about one year’s tuition. Arizona has tax credits available to help lower the costs, and there are other scholarship, grant and loan programs available.

Why would someone want to spend thousands of dollars on something that is supposed to be free? Well first of all, your children will only get one childhood and one chance at an education. There will be no do-overs when they are grown up. Furthermore, in 2005 there were over 600 Arizona public schools that failed to meet the federal academic requirements. 48 percent of Arizona public school fourth graders scored “below basic” on reading. This was after Arizona lowered its requirements to pass the AIMS test from 73 percent in reading questions down to 59 percent. Yes, you read that correctly. The State of Arizona thinks that a failing grade is a passing grade. Only in public schools.

In private schools your children are challenged to a higher academic standard. Schools are smaller. Teachers are more satisfied with their work. There is a much greater push to college. Students who attended private school in eighth grade were twice as likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher by their mid twenties (52 to 26 percent). With the smaller class sizes in private schools it is easier for teachers to focus on their students. There is more discipline and more safety. Typical crimes that are major problems in the public schools are much less common and even unheard of in private schools.

Recent surveys reported that children age 12 to 18 were up to eight times more likely to have experienced violent victimization in public schools. They were over five times as likely to be bullied at public school. They were over six times as likely to report street gangs being present at public school.

In the most recent survey available, teachers believe that there is over four times more student disrespect for teachers in public schools than in private, that there is over twice as much use of alcohol in public schools than in private, that there is three times as much drug abuse and tardiness in public schools than in private, and almost five times as much absenteeism in public schools than in private. They believe that six times as many public school students come to school unprepared to learn than in private school, and that there is over five times as much student apathy in public versus private schools. 

The National Assessment of Educational Progress periodically tests the knowledge of and skills of America’s fourth, eighth and twelfth graders. Private school students regularly score well above the nations public schools. The most recent available results showed that fourth graders in private schools were 42 percent more proficient at math than in public school, 60 percent more proficient at reading, 44 percent more proficient at writing, 76 percent more proficient at history, and 55 percent more proficient at geography. Eighth graders in private schools were 59 percent more proficient at math than in public schools, 77 percent more proficient at reading, 57 percent more proficient at writing, 107 percent more proficient at history, and 46 percent more proficient at geography. Twelfth graders in private schools were 82 percent more proficient at writing than in public schools, 55 percent more proficient at history, and 33 percent more proficient at geography. Proficient means that a student has a solid academic performance and competency. This is the level that is considered the standard that all students should attain.

In recent years, year after year, private school students scored almost 50 points higher on the SAT verbal section and almost 60 points higher on the SAT math portion as compared to public school students.

There is no doubting the statistics. Why are public schools failing? Is it because the government cannot do much of anything right? Is it because liberals are in control of the public schools and they think it is more important to have self-esteem than to be able to do math or read? Is it because it is more important to teach kindergarteners about sex education than how to read? Is it the decline in the work ethic?  Is it because public school teachers belong to unions and they can’t get fired for gross incompetence? Is it because of political correctness? Is it because of the rejection of character and academic basics? Is it because cheating, lying, and stealing are accepted practices and when punished are defended by parents? Is it because they are told to remember the answer rather than to understand it? Is it because “science” is global warming, recycling, and population control? Is it because they are taught not to worry about spelling things correctly because there is a spell check on their computer? Is it because they use calculators rather than do their own math? Is it because there is no respect for authority, no integrity and no honor? Is it because they make students fell guilty for being Americans? Is it because God and anything Christian has been removed from them? Whatever the reason, private schools are far superior to public schools and worth every penny.