Whether parents decide to send their child to public school, charter school, or private school, it’s rarely a quick or easy choice. The three of us, all coming back from abroad with school-aged children, wrestled with it. We had to weigh the pros and cons. We asked friends, researched online, toured schools when we could. We thought we had finally made a decision only to suddenly learn from a friend that their friend sent their kid to X school for Y reason.
The number of choices can be overwhelming. Charter schools are a new “on trend” choice with enrollment nationally on the rise. They are public, tuition-free schools that are a part of your local school district, but have more flexibility (think curriculum, teaching methods, school schedules) and specific goals that are outlined on their “charter.” Because charter schools are a part of a local school district or state agency, they must be open to all students, but their enrollment practices can differ. Charter school popularity varies depending on the strength of the local public school system, but is often popular with parents who want to be more involved but are not ready or open to the private school system.
You may be thinking that private schools are like charter schools, but you have to pay tuition. Yes and no – you do pay tuition, but that is because the school operates completely independent from the local public school system. Private schools also design their own admissions criteria, which means your child may need to take a separate examination, like the SSAT, as well as participate in an interview. Private school is often more popular with parents who are seeking a very specific type or individualized style of education.
More so than the choices themselves, the number of factors we parents have to consider easily outnumber those choices. Some immediate factors that may pop up are price, distance from your home, curriculum style, and safety, but, beyond those, there’s also class size, individualized support, and parental involvement – the variables could go on and on depending on what you’re looking for.
Among our team of three, Kristen and Kelly decided to send their children to charter school while Melissa decided to send her children to private school. In “Our Hot Takes” series, hear how each of our educational experts decided on their children’s schools.