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Any parent who has compared kindergartens, considered differing approaches to middle school, or wondered how to best prepare a student for college knows that decisions about a child’s education can be paralyzing. For many parents, one of the biggest questions is choosing between private and public school. What are the real, tangible benefits of a private education? Is it really worth the cost of tuition? While each family has to make these decision for themselves, there are concrete benefits of a private education worth considering. Here are the top seven most impactful ways a private school education can go above and beyond to give students a truly enriching learning environment and, ultimately, a leg up in the world.Small class sizes and individual attentionBut the benefits of small class sizes don’t stop there. Smaller groups of students allow teachers to be flexible in the classroom and change things up if a particular lesson isn’t resonating. Additionally, as hands-on learning, active problem-solving, and small-group SCHOOLWOODWARD ACADEMY PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC SCHOOL | BEYOND THE GATE EDITORSBY BEYOND THE GATE EDITORScollaboration continue to prove fruitful, especially in the STEM fields, small class sizes become all the more important. With fewer students, classroom management becomes far less of an issue and the “organized chaos” of on-the-ground problem-solving is allowed to thrive. Rather than stiff lesson plans, this environment breeds innovation, creativity, and critical thinking around real-world problems—all necessary for students to be successful in today’s world. In this way, ‘small class size’ isn’t just a touchy-feely buzzword; it’s a real advantage for private schools and their students.Speed of implementation and flexibility with best practices in educationAs anyone who has ever worked at a big company or organization knows, sometimes huge institutions are slow to evolve and bureaucracy can get in the way of progress. Because private schools are not held to public school guidelines, assessments, and standards, they are free to try new things and teach beyond standardized curricula. While plenty of private schools issue standardized tests, they are on the whole more empowered to teach beyond the test and push students beyond the core competencies. Administrators and teachers are allowed to shape their curricula and programming to meet the specific needs of their school or individual classrooms. When educators have the flexibility to shape their lesson plans to their students interests and needs, kids become more involved and more passionate schools outperform their public school counterparts in terms of academic rigor and test scores. With more personalized attention and the resources to hone and adjust curricula, private schools often can teach more efficiently and push their students to excel. Private school students generally do better on standardized tests, and they benefit from greater academic rigor. Private schools have the freedom to incorporate advanced material, in the form of electives for older students and extra units ona subject for younger students, that harnesses student interest and gives kids a taste of the world of knowledge that awaits them. Partnerships with local universities and/or industry professionals is another way that many private schools build bridges to the future for their students. Additionally, highly selective admissions’ processes mean that, for many private schools, the academic bar is simply set higher. This means that a C student, who may be at the bottom of their class at a private school, is still often out-performing a C student in a public school. Of course, there are also wonderfully academically rigorous public schools out there, but—for better or worse—even the perception itself that private schools are more academically challenging goes a long way in terms of student success. In the college process for example, university admissions counselors make assumptions about the kinds of schools and level of academics that kids are coming from—and they often make these assumptions along public and private school lines. Teaching to the whole child—arts, athletics, cocurricularsIn order to have a visible edge over their public school counterparts and be truly competitive with their fellow private schools, independent schools must provide valuable experiences beyond traditional academics. The performing and visual arts is an area where many public schools just can’t invest their resources, but these programs draw out creativity and help their participants think through problems in new ways. Athletic programs are incredibly important for cultivating teamwork and work ethic in diverse situations, as well as maintaining healthy minds and bodies. Cocurriculars like debate, language clubs, coding and robotics teams, or model UN expand kids’ horizons and get them passionate about new and different areas. Together, all of these programs educate the whole child, going beyond a strict five-subject model to help kids use different parts of their brains and explore what ignites their imaginations. The very best students are almost always mathematicians and violinists, literary scholars and lacrosse players, poets and robotics whizzes. This kind of well-rounded educational model doesn’t just help kids attain their personal best, however, it’s also what colleges look for. Teaching to the whole child—character building, citizenship, serviceGreater resources and a commitment to “the whole child” also apply to less concrete but equally important areas of education devoted to building character, citizenship, community, and a sense of service. Of course plenty of public schools, their teachers, and their administrators cultivate these qualities in their students as well, but—as with so many things—the about their education. Teachers love this freedom too, which is reflected in teacher satisfaction and tenure rates in independent schools.Along these same lines, private schools also can implement cutting edge research, pedagogies, and technology faster and more efficiently than their public school counterparts. Many private schools even have a specific administrator in charge of keeping the school’s academics and technology in line with best practices and the latest research in the field. Being part of the conversation and a forerunner in the field of education has repercussions in every aspect of a school—from academic pedagogies, to resources and technology, to athletics and the arts, to social and behavioral health. When schools can incorporate best practices without going through the hoops of the unwieldy bureaucracy of public education, they can keep their students abreast of latest trends and developments in every aspect of their education, and thereby better prepare them for the real world—which certainly won’t wait for them to catch up. Academic rigor and test scoresThe above two factors— small class sizes and speed of implementation—feed directly into the third item on our list: private private school advantage is in providing formalized, resourced programs to support such initiatives. Rather than relying on exceptional faculty and staff to devote extra time and effort to developing their students’ moral compass or role in the community, many private schools have infrastructure and funds explicitly designed to support these areas. For example, school-wide sustainability education and initiatives make kids keenly aware that their actions affect the people and the world around them. A strong commitment to anti-bullying programming can be vital to creating a safe and happy community. Diversity and inclusion training that goes deeper than buzzwords to actually address kids’ differences—and their questions or conflicts about these differences—is crucial. Curricula and programming with both a global and a community-oriented emphasis instills citizenship and drives home the point that every student has a real impact on their school, their local community, and the world. Building a sense of service through school-wide volunteering or giving-back programs similarly involves kids in their communities and sets up habits that translate to a lifetime of positive and compassionate contributions to the world around them. As you can imagine, a logical extension of all of these areas involves behavior and discipline. Students make fewer bad decisions when they’re steeped in a community culture of respect and honor, and formalized initiatives go a long way in creating that. When kids buy in to the social contracts of a community—whether because they understand the reasoning behind them or just because they would be the odd one out if they didn’t buy in—it becomes ingrained to treat themselves, each other, and their communities with respect. Most parents agree that at the end of the day, there’s really nothing more important.College Preparation and SuccessOf course, there are also the strategic, practical steps that lead to a life of success. College preparation matters—from college counseling, to parent programming about the application process, to support and advocacy for kids as they battle through increasingly hyper-competitive admissions environments. Why is all of this such a help? Well, the rumors are true: the college application process is a beast. There a lot of different steps, loads of paperwork, deadlines that seem to always sneak up, and plenty of fine print—and that’s not even getting into the world of best practices, test prep, tips, hacks, or other “insider info” that can help kids conquer the college admissions game. For the hopeful college-bound student, a college counselor becomes an incredibly important ally.While many public schools have college counseling programs, the same logic applies as with teacher to student ratio. A counselor who is responsible for 400 kids just can’t give them the attention of a counselor responsible for only 40. Similarly, counseling offices that have more resources and dedicated time have the luxury of thinking about the whole process, avoiding the mad dash in the fall of the student’s senior year. Students and parents under expert college counseling guidance will know early on exactly what’s coming down the pike. They’ll be on top of standardized testing in their freshman and sophomore years, and be building a high school resume that reflects their goals and PRIVATE PUBLIC7 REASONS TO CHOOSEPRIVATE OVER PUBLICambitions for life after high school. In one of the most important steps, college counselors will know enough about each and every one of their students to help them find and select “best fit” colleges, so they’re not wasting time applying to schools that don’t fit their personality, don’t offer what they need, are too much of a “safety school,” or are plainly out of reach from an admissions standpoint. Because of the management of all of these logistics as well as access to the advocacy and connections of a great college counselor, private school students really do have a leg up in this difficult process.Multiple mentors and mental healthCollege counseling is a primary and important example of a larger trend in private schools: providing multiple interpersonal connections for every student. Every kid is different and benefits from a team of professionals to look out for them as they progress, academically and socially. With ever more emphasis on the importance of social, behavioral, and emotional health for both individual students as well as school communities, creating multiple touch points for every student is absolutely vital. Again, so often this just comes down to resources. At many private schools, students have an advisor assigned to them and a small group of other students, a mental health counselor assigned to a specific grade, and peer-led support groups and contacts, in addition to a college counselor, a school nurse, teachers, and administrators who are all tasked with looking out for kids’ social and mental welfare. This is part of the safety net that an intimate private-school community can provide. With multiple people looking out for every student, it’s harder for problems kids are facing to slip through the cracks. Given statistics about teenage and even pre-teen depression and violence against themselves and others, finding a community that will provide the support for every student couldn’t be more crucial. In conclusionWhile every school is different and should be considered on their own merits and faults, the previous seven attributes usually set private schools apart, giving their students a leg up in their K-12 education and beyond. As we’ve seen, the advantage of a private education so often boils down to sheer resources. From small class sizes, to cocurricular programming, to strong student to teacher/counselor/ administrator ratios, private school students receive more personalized time and attention than their public school counterparts. Add in curricular flexibility, academic rigor, test scores, and college admissions, and it becomes clear why so many parents ultimately opt for a private education.

Any parent who has compared kindergartens, considered differing approaches to middle school, or wondered how to best prepare a student for college knows that decisions about a child’s education can be paralyzing. For many parents, one of the biggest questions is choosing between private and public school. What are the real, tangible benefits of a private education? Is it really worth the cost of tuition? While each family has to make these decision for themselves, there are concrete benefits of a private education worth considering. Here are the top seven most impactful ways a private school education can go above and beyond to give students a truly enriching learning environment and, ultimately, a leg up in the world.Small class sizes and individual attentionBut the benefits of small class sizes don’t stop there. Smaller groups of students allow teachers to be flexible in the classroom and change things up if a particular lesson isn’t resonating. Additionally, as hands-on learning, active problem-solving, and small-group WOODWARD ACADEMY PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC SCHOOL | BEYOND THE GATE EDITORS collaboration continue to prove fruitful, especially in the STEM fields, small class sizes become all the more important. With fewer students, classroom management becomes far less of an issue and the “organized chaos” of on-the-ground problem-solving is allowed to thrive. Rather than stiff lesson plans, this environment breeds innovation, creativity, and critical thinking around real-world problems—all necessary for students to be successful in today’s world. In this way, ‘small class size’ isn’t just a touchy-feely buzzword; it’s a real advantage for private schools and their students.Speed of implementation and flexibility with best practices in educationAs anyone who has ever worked at a big company or organization knows, sometimes huge institutions are slow to evolve and bureaucracy can get in the way of progress. Because private schools are not held to public school guidelines, assessments, and standards, they are free to try new things and teach beyond standardized curricula. While plenty of private schools issue standardized tests, they are on the whole more empowered to teach beyond the test and push students beyond the core competencies. Administrators and teachers are allowed to shape their curricula and programming to meet the specific needs of their school or individual classrooms. When educators have the flexibility to shape their lesson plans to their students interests and needs, kids become more involved and more passionate schools outperform their public school counterparts in terms of academic rigor and test scores. With more personalized attention and the resources to hone and adjust curricula, private schools often can teach more efficiently and push their students to excel. Private school students generally do better on standardized tests, and they benefit from greater academic rigor. Private schools have the freedom to incorporate advanced material, in the form of electives for older students and extra units ona subject for younger students, that harnesses student interest and gives kids a taste of the world of knowledge that awaits them. Partnerships with local universities and/or industry professionals is another way that many private schools build bridges to the future for their students. Additionally, highly selective admissions’ processes mean that, for many private schools, the academic bar is simply set higher. This means that a C student, who may be at the bottom of their class at a private school, is still often out-performing a C student in a public school. Of course, there are also wonderfully academically rigorous public schools out there, but—for better or worse—even the perception itself that private schools are more academically challenging goes a long way in terms of student success. In the college process for example, university admissions counselors make assumptions about the kinds of schools and level of academics that kids are coming from—and they often make these assumptions along public and private school lines. Teaching to the whole child—arts, athletics, cocurricularsIn order to have a visible edge over their public school counterparts and be truly competitive with their fellow private schools, independent schools must provide valuable experiences beyond traditional academics. The performing and visual arts is an area where many public schools just can’t invest their resources, but these programs draw out creativity and help their participants think through problems in new ways. Athletic programs are incredibly important for cultivating teamwork and work ethic in diverse situations, as well as maintaining healthy minds and bodies. Cocurriculars like debate, language clubs, coding and robotics teams, or model UN expand kids’ horizons and get them passionate about new and different areas. Together, all of these programs educate the whole child, going beyond a strict five-subject model to help kids use different parts of their brains and explore what ignites their imaginations. The very best students are almost always mathematicians and violinists, literary scholars and lacrosse players, poets and robotics whizzes. This kind of well-rounded educational model doesn’t just help kids attain their personal best, however, it’s also what colleges look for. Teaching to the whole child—character building, citizenship, serviceGreater resources and a commitment to “the whole child” also apply to less concrete but equally important areas of education devoted to building character, citizenship, community, and a sense of service. Of course plenty of public schools, their teachers, and their administrators cultivate these qualities in their students as well, but—as with so many things—the about their education. Teachers love this freedom too, which is reflected in teacher satisfaction and tenure rates in independent schools.Along these same lines, private schools also can implement cutting edge research, pedagogies, and technology faster and more efficiently than their public school counterparts. Many private schools even have a specific administrator in charge of keeping the school’s academics and technology in line with best practices and the latest research in the field. Being part of the conversation and a forerunner in the field of education has repercussions in every aspect of a school—from academic pedagogies, to resources and technology, to athletics and the arts, to social and behavioral health. When schools can incorporate best practices without going through the hoops of the unwieldy bureaucracy of public education, they can keep their students abreast of latest trends and developments in every aspect of their education, and thereby better prepare them for the real world—which certainly won’t wait for them to catch up. Academic rigor and test scoresThe above two factors— small class sizes and speed of implementation—feed directly into the third item on our list: private private school advantage is in providing formalized, resourced programs to support such initiatives. Rather than relying on exceptional faculty and staff to devote extra time and effort to developing their students’ moral compass or role in the community, many private schools have infrastructure and funds explicitly designed to support these areas. For example, school-wide sustainability education and initiatives make kids keenly aware that their actions affect the people and the world around them. A strong commitment to anti-bullying programming can be vital to creating a safe and happy community. Diversity and inclusion training that goes deeper than buzzwords to actually address kids’ differences—and their questions or conflicts about these differences—is crucial. Curricula and programming with both a global and a community-oriented emphasis instills citizenship and drives home the point that every student has a real impact on their school, their local community, and the world. Building a sense of service through school-wide volunteering or giving-back programs similarly involves kids in their communities and sets up habits that translate to a lifetime of positive and compassionate contributions to the world around them. As you can imagine, a logical extension of all of these areas involves behavior and discipline. Students make fewer bad decisions when they’re steeped in a community culture of respect and honor, and formalized initiatives go a long way in creating that. When kids buy in to the social contracts of a community—whether because they understand the reasoning behind them or just because they would be the odd one out if they didn’t buy in—it becomes ingrained to treat themselves, each other, and their communities with respect. Most parents agree that at the end of the day, there’s really nothing more important.College Preparation and SuccessOf course, there are also the strategic, practical steps that lead to a life of success. College preparation matters—from college counseling, to parent programming about the application process, to support and advocacy for kids as they battle through increasingly hyper-competitive admissions environments. Why is all of this such a help? Well, the rumors are true: the college application process is a beast. There a lot of different steps, loads of paperwork, deadlines that seem to always sneak up, and plenty of fine print—and that’s not even getting into the world of best practices, test prep, tips, hacks, or other “insider info” that can help kids conquer the college admissions game. For the hopeful college-bound student, a college counselor becomes an incredibly important ally.While many public schools have college counseling programs, the same logic applies as with teacher to student ratio. A counselor who is responsible for 400 kids just can’t give them the attention of a counselor responsible for only 40. Similarly, counseling offices that have more resources and dedicated time have the luxury of thinking about the whole process, avoiding the mad dash in the fall of the student’s senior year. Students and parents under expert college counseling guidance will know early on exactly what’s coming down the pike. They’ll be on top of standardized testing in their freshman and sophomore years, and be building a high school resume that reflects their goals and PRIVATEambitions for life after high school. In one of the most important steps, college counselors will know enough about each and every one of their students to help them find and select “best fit” colleges, so they’re not wasting time applying to schools that don’t fit their personality, don’t offer what they need, are too much of a “safety school,” or are plainly out of reach from an admissions standpoint. Because of the management of all of these logistics as well as access to the advocacy and connections of a great college counselor, private school students really do have a leg up in this difficult process.Multiple mentors and mental healthCollege counseling is a primary and important example of a larger trend in private schools: providing multiple interpersonal connections for every student. Every kid is different and benefits from a team of professionals to look out for them as they progress, academically and socially. With ever more emphasis on the importance of social, behavioral, and emotional health for both individual students as well as school communities, creating multiple touch points for every student is absolutely vital. Again, so often this just comes down to resources. At many private schools, students have an advisor assigned to them and a small group of other students, a mental health counselor assigned to a specific grade, and peer-led support groups and contacts, in addition to a college counselor, a school nurse, teachers, and administrators who are all tasked with looking out for kids’ social and mental welfare. This is part of the safety net that an intimate private-school community can provide. With multiple people looking out for every student, it’s harder for problems kids are facing to slip through the cracks. Given statistics about teenage and even pre-teen depression and violence against themselves and others, finding a community that will provide the support for every student couldn’t be more crucial. In conclusionWhile every school is different and should be considered on their own merits and faults, the previous seven attributes usually set private schools apart, giving their students a leg up in their K-12 education and beyond. As we’ve seen, the advantage of a private education so often boils down to sheer resources. From small class sizes, to cocurricular programming, to strong student to teacher/counselor/ administrator ratios, private school students receive more personalized time and attention than their public school counterparts. Add in curricular flexibility, academic rigor, test scores, and college admissions, and it becomes clear why so many parents ultimately opt for a private education. “Private schools have the freedom to incorporate advanced material that harnesses student interest and gives kids a taste of the world of knowledge that awaits them.”

Any parent who has compared kindergartens, considered differing approaches to middle school, or wondered how to best prepare a student for college knows that decisions about a child’s education can be paralyzing. For many parents, one of the biggest questions is choosing between private and public school. What are the real, tangible benefits of a private education? Is it really worth the cost of tuition? While each family has to make these decision for themselves, there are concrete benefits of a private education worth considering. Here are the top seven most impactful ways a private school education can go above and beyond to give students a truly enriching learning environment and, ultimately, a leg up in the world.Small class sizes and individual attentionBut the benefits of small class sizes don’t stop there. Smaller groups of students allow teachers to be flexible in the classroom and change things up if a particular lesson isn’t resonating. Additionally, as hands-on learning, active problem-solving, and small-group collaboration continue to prove fruitful, especially in the STEM fields, small class sizes become all the more important. With fewer students, classroom management becomes far less of an issue and the “organized chaos” of on-the-ground problem-solving is allowed to thrive. Rather than stiff lesson plans, this environment breeds innovation, creativity, and critical thinking around real-world problems—all necessary for students to be successful in today’s world. In this way, ‘small class size’ isn’t just a touchy-feely buzzword; it’s a real advantage for private schools and their students.Speed of implementation and flexibility with best practices in educationAs anyone who has ever worked at a big company or organization knows, WOODWARD ACADEMY sometimes huge institutions are slow to evolve and bureaucracy can get in the way of progress. Because private schools are not held to public school guidelines, assessments, and standards, they are free to try new things and teach beyond standardized curricula. While plenty of private schools issue standardized tests, they are on the whole more empowered to teach beyond the test and push students beyond the core competencies. Administrators and teachers are allowed to shape their curricula and programming to meet the specific needs of their school or individual classrooms. When educators have the flexibility to shape their lesson plans to their students interests and needs, kids become more involved and more passionate schools outperform their public school counterparts in terms of academic rigor and test scores. With more personalized attention and the resources to hone and adjust curricula, private schools often can teach more efficiently and push their students to excel. Private school students generally do better on standardized tests, and they benefit from greater academic rigor. Private schools have the freedom to incorporate advanced material, in the form of electives for older students and extra units ona subject for younger students, that harnesses student interest and gives kids a taste of the world of knowledge that awaits them. Partnerships with local universities and/or industry professionals is another way that many private schools build bridges to the future for their students. Additionally, highly selective admissions’ processes mean that, for many private schools, the academic bar is simply set higher. This means that a C student, who may be at the bottom of their class at a private school, is still often out-performing a C student in a public school. Of course, there are also wonderfully academically rigorous public schools out there, but—for better or worse—even the perception itself that private schools are more academically challenging goes a long way in terms of student success. In the college process for example, university admissions counselors make assumptions about the kinds of schools and level of academics that kids are coming from—and they often make these assumptions along public and private school lines. Teaching to the whole child—arts, athletics, cocurricularsIn order to have a visible edge over their public school counterparts and be truly competitive with their fellow private schools, independent schools must provide valuable experiences beyond traditional academics. The performing and visual arts is an area where many public schools just can’t invest their resources, but these programs draw out creativity and help their participants think through problems in new ways. Athletic programs are incredibly important for cultivating teamwork and work ethic in diverse situations, as well as maintaining healthy minds and bodies. Cocurriculars like debate, language clubs, coding and robotics teams, or model UN expand kids’ horizons and get them passionate about new and different areas. Together, all of these programs educate the whole child, going beyond a strict five-subject model to help kids use different parts of their brains and explore what ignites their imaginations. The very best students are almost always mathematicians and violinists, literary scholars and lacrosse players, poets and robotics whizzes. This kind of well-rounded educational model doesn’t just help kids attain their personal best, however, it’s also what colleges look for. Teaching to the whole child—character building, citizenship, serviceGreater resources and a commitment to “the whole child” also apply to less concrete but equally important areas of education devoted to building character, citizenship, community, and a sense of service. Of course plenty of public schools, their teachers, and their administrators cultivate these qualities in their students as well, but—as with so many things—the about their education. Teachers love this freedom too, which is reflected in teacher satisfaction and tenure rates in independent schools.Along these same lines, private schools also can implement cutting edge research, pedagogies, and technology faster and more efficiently than their public school counterparts. Many private schools even have a specific administrator in charge of keeping the school’s academics and technology in line with best practices and the latest research in the field. Being part of the conversation and a forerunner in the field of education has repercussions in every aspect of a school—from academic pedagogies, to resources and technology, to athletics and the arts, to social and behavioral health. When schools can incorporate best practices without going through the hoops of the unwieldy bureaucracy of public education, they can keep their students abreast of latest trends and developments in every aspect of their education, and thereby better prepare them for the real world—which certainly won’t wait for them to catch up. Academic rigor and test scoresThe above two factors— small class sizes and speed of implementation—feed directly into the third item on our list: private private school advantage is in providing formalized, resourced programs to support such initiatives. Rather than relying on exceptional faculty and staff to devote extra time and effort to developing their students’ moral compass or role in the community, many private schools have infrastructure and funds explicitly designed to support these areas. For example, school-wide sustainability education and initiatives make kids keenly aware that their actions affect the people and the world around them. A strong commitment to anti-bullying programming can be vital to creating a safe and happy community. Diversity and inclusion training that goes deeper than buzzwords to actually address kids’ differences—and their questions or conflicts about these differences—is crucial. Curricula and programming with both a global and a community-oriented emphasis instills citizenship and drives home the point that every student has a real impact on their school, their local community, and the world. Building a sense of service through school-wide volunteering or giving-back programs similarly involves kids in their communities and sets up habits that translate to a lifetime of positive and compassionate contributions to the world around them. As you can imagine, a logical extension of all of these areas involves behavior and discipline. Students make fewer bad decisions when they’re steeped in a community culture of respect and honor, and formalized initiatives go a long way in creating that. When kids buy in to the social contracts of a community—whether because they understand the reasoning behind them or just because they would be the odd one out if they didn’t buy in—it becomes ingrained to treat themselves, each other, and their communities with respect. Most parents agree that at the end of the day, there’s really nothing more important.College Preparation and SuccessOf course, there are also the strategic, practical steps that lead to a life of success. College preparation matters—from college counseling, to parent programming about the application process, to support and advocacy for kids as they battle through increasingly hyper-competitive admissions environments. Why is all of this such a help? Well, the rumors are true: the college application process is a beast. There a lot of different steps, loads of paperwork, deadlines that seem to always sneak up, and plenty of fine print—and that’s not even getting into the world of best practices, test prep, tips, hacks, or other “insider info” that can help kids conquer the college admissions game. For the hopeful college-bound student, a college counselor becomes an incredibly important ally.While many public schools have college counseling programs, the same logic applies as with teacher to student ratio. A counselor who is responsible for 400 kids just can’t give them the attention of a counselor responsible for only 40. Similarly, counseling offices that have more resources and dedicated time have the luxury of thinking about the whole process, avoiding the mad dash in the fall of the student’s senior year. Students and parents under expert college counseling guidance will know early on exactly what’s coming down the pike. They’ll be on top of standardized testing in their freshman and sophomore years, and be building a high school resume that reflects their goals and PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC SCHOOL | BEYOND THE GATE EDITORSambitions for life after high school. In one of the most important steps, college counselors will know enough about each and every one of their students to help them find and select “best fit” colleges, so they’re not wasting time applying to schools that don’t fit their personality, don’t offer what they need, are too much of a “safety school,” or are plainly out of reach from an admissions standpoint. Because of the management of all of these logistics as well as access to the advocacy and connections of a great college counselor, private school students really do have a leg up in this difficult process.Multiple mentors and mental healthCollege counseling is a primary and important example of a larger trend in private schools: providing multiple interpersonal connections for every student. Every kid is different and benefits from a team of professionals to look out for them as they progress, academically and socially. With ever more emphasis on the importance of social, behavioral, and emotional health for both individual students as well as school communities, creating multiple touch points for every student is absolutely vital. Again, so often this just comes down to resources. At many private schools, students have an advisor assigned to them and a small group of other students, a mental health counselor assigned to a specific grade, and peer-led support groups and contacts, in addition to a college counselor, a school nurse, teachers, and administrators who are all tasked with looking out for kids’ social and mental welfare. This is part of the safety net that an intimate private-school community can provide. With multiple people looking out for every student, it’s harder for problems kids are facing to slip through the cracks. Given statistics about teenage and even pre-teen depression and violence against themselves and others, finding a community that will provide the support for every student couldn’t be more crucial. In conclusionWhile every school is different and should be considered on their own merits and faults, the previous seven attributes usually set private schools apart, giving their students a leg up in their K-12 education and beyond. As we’ve seen, the advantage of a private education so often boils down to sheer resources. From small class sizes, to cocurricular programming, to strong student to teacher/counselor/ administrator ratios, private school students receive more personalized time and attention than their public school counterparts. Add in curricular flexibility, academic rigor, test scores, and college admissions, and it becomes clear why so many parents ultimately opt for a private education.

Any parent who has compared kindergartens, considered differing approaches to middle school, or wondered how to best prepare a student for college knows that decisions about a child’s education can be paralyzing. For many parents, one of the biggest questions is choosing between private and public school. What are the real, tangible benefits of a private education? Is it really worth the cost of tuition? While each family has to make these decision for themselves, there are concrete benefits of a private education worth considering. Here are the top seven most impactful ways a private school education can go above and beyond to give students a truly enriching learning environment and, ultimately, a leg up in the world.Small class sizes and individual attentionBut the benefits of small class sizes don’t stop there. Smaller groups of students allow teachers to be flexible in the classroom and change things up if a particular lesson isn’t resonating. Additionally, as hands-on learning, active problem-solving, and small-group collaboration continue to prove fruitful, especially in the STEM fields, small class sizes become all the more important. With fewer students, classroom management becomes far less of an issue and the “organized chaos” of on-the-ground problem-solving is allowed to thrive. Rather than stiff lesson plans, this environment breeds innovation, creativity, and critical thinking around real-world problems—all necessary for students to be successful in today’s world. In this way, ‘small class size’ isn’t just a touchy-feely buzzword; it’s a real advantage for private schools and their students.Speed of implementation and flexibility with best practices in educationAs anyone who has ever worked at a big company or organization knows, sometimes huge institutions are slow to evolve and bureaucracy can get in the way of progress. Because private schools are not held to public school guidelines, assessments, and standards, they are free to try new things and teach beyond standardized curricula. While plenty of private schools issue standardized tests, they are on the whole more empowered to teach beyond the test and push students beyond the core competencies. Administrators and teachers are allowed to shape their curricula and programming to meet the specific needs of their school or individual classrooms. When educators have the flexibility to shape their lesson plans to their students interests and needs, kids become more involved and more passionate WOODWARD ACADEMY schools outperform their public school counterparts in terms of academic rigor and test scores. With more personalized attention and the resources to hone and adjust curricula, private schools often can teach more efficiently and push their students to excel. Private school students generally do better on standardized tests, and they benefit from greater academic rigor. Private schools have the freedom to incorporate advanced material, in the form of electives for older students and extra units ona subject for younger students, that harnesses student interest and gives kids a taste of the world of knowledge that awaits them. Partnerships with local universities and/or industry professionals is another way that many private schools build bridges to the future for their students. Additionally, highly selective admissions’ processes mean that, for many private schools, the academic bar is simply set higher. This means that a C student, who may be at the bottom of their class at a private school, is still often out-performing a C student in a public school. Of course, there are also wonderfully academically rigorous public schools out there, but—for better or worse—even the perception itself that private schools are more academically challenging goes a long way in terms of student success. In the college process for example, university admissions counselors make assumptions about the kinds of schools and level of academics that kids are coming from—and they often make these assumptions along public and private school lines. Teaching to the whole child—arts, athletics, cocurricularsIn order to have a visible edge over their public school counterparts and be truly competitive with their fellow private schools, independent schools must provide valuable experiences beyond traditional academics. The performing and visual arts is an area where many public schools just can’t invest their resources, but these programs draw out creativity and help their participants think through problems in new ways. Athletic programs are incredibly important for cultivating teamwork and work ethic in diverse situations, as well as maintaining healthy minds and bodies. Cocurriculars like debate, language clubs, coding and robotics teams, or model UN expand kids’ horizons and get them passionate about new and different areas. Together, all of these programs educate the whole child, going beyond a strict five-subject model to help kids use different parts of their brains and explore what ignites their imaginations. The very best students are almost always mathematicians and violinists, literary scholars and lacrosse players, poets and robotics whizzes. This kind of well-rounded educational model doesn’t just help kids attain their personal best, however, it’s also what colleges look for. Teaching to the whole child—character building, citizenship, serviceGreater resources and a commitment to “the whole child” also apply to less concrete but equally important areas of education devoted to building character, citizenship, community, and a sense of service. Of course plenty of public schools, their teachers, and their administrators cultivate these qualities in their students as well, but—as with so many things—the about their education. Teachers love this freedom too, which is reflected in teacher satisfaction and tenure rates in independent schools.Along these same lines, private schools also can implement cutting edge research, pedagogies, and technology faster and more efficiently than their public school counterparts. Many private schools even have a specific administrator in charge of keeping the school’s academics and technology in line with best practices and the latest research in the field. Being part of the conversation and a forerunner in the field of education has repercussions in every aspect of a school—from academic pedagogies, to resources and technology, to athletics and the arts, to social and behavioral health. When schools can incorporate best practices without going through the hoops of the unwieldy bureaucracy of public education, they can keep their students abreast of latest trends and developments in every aspect of their education, and thereby better prepare them for the real world—which certainly won’t wait for them to catch up. Academic rigor and test scoresThe above two factors— small class sizes and speed of implementation—feed directly into the third item on our list: private private school advantage is in providing formalized, resourced programs to support such initiatives. Rather than relying on exceptional faculty and staff to devote extra time and effort to developing their students’ moral compass or role in the community, many private schools have infrastructure and funds explicitly designed to support these areas. For example, school-wide sustainability education and initiatives make kids keenly aware that their actions affect the people and the world around them. A strong commitment to anti-bullying programming can be vital to creating a safe and happy community. Diversity and inclusion training that goes deeper than buzzwords to actually address kids’ differences—and their questions or conflicts about these differences—is crucial. Curricula and programming with both a global and a community-oriented emphasis instills citizenship and drives home the point that every student has a real impact on their school, their local community, and the world. Building a sense of service through school-wide volunteering or giving-back programs similarly involves kids in their communities and sets up habits that translate to a lifetime of positive and compassionate contributions to the world around them. As you can imagine, a logical extension of all of these areas involves behavior and discipline. Students make fewer bad decisions when they’re steeped in a community culture of respect and honor, and formalized initiatives go a long way in creating that. When kids buy in to the social contracts of a community—whether because they understand the reasoning behind them or just because they would be the odd one out if they didn’t buy in—it becomes ingrained to treat themselves, each other, and their communities with respect. Most parents agree that at the end of the day, there’s really nothing more important.College Preparation and SuccessOf course, there are also the strategic, practical steps that lead to a life of success. College preparation matters—from college counseling, to parent programming about the application process, to support and advocacy for kids as they battle through increasingly hyper-competitive admissions environments. Why is all of this such a help? Well, the rumors are true: the college application process is a beast. There a lot of different steps, loads of paperwork, deadlines that seem to always sneak up, and plenty of fine print—and that’s not even getting into the world of best practices, test prep, tips, hacks, or other “insider info” that can help kids conquer the college admissions game. For the hopeful college-bound student, a college counselor becomes an incredibly important ally.While many public schools have college counseling programs, the same logic applies as with teacher to student ratio. A counselor who is responsible for 400 kids just can’t give them the attention of a counselor responsible for only 40. Similarly, counseling offices that have more resources and dedicated time have the luxury of thinking about the whole process, avoiding the mad dash in the fall of the student’s senior year. Students and parents under expert college counseling guidance will know early on exactly what’s coming down the pike. They’ll be on top of standardized testing in their freshman and sophomore years, and be building a high school resume that reflects their goals and PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC SCHOOL | BEYOND THE GATE EDITORSambitions for life after high school. In one of the most important steps, college counselors will know enough about each and every one of their students to help them find and select “best fit” colleges, so they’re not wasting time applying to schools that don’t fit their personality, don’t offer what they need, are too much of a “safety school,” or are plainly out of reach from an admissions standpoint. Because of the management of all of these logistics as well as access to the advocacy and connections of a great college counselor, private school students really do have a leg up in this difficult process.Multiple mentors and mental healthCollege counseling is a primary and important example of a larger trend in private schools: providing multiple interpersonal connections for every student. Every kid is different and benefits from a team of professionals to look out for them as they progress, academically and socially. With ever more emphasis on the importance of social, behavioral, and emotional health for both individual students as well as school communities, creating multiple touch points for every student is absolutely vital. Again, so often this just comes down to resources. At many private schools, students have an advisor assigned to them and a small group of other students, a mental health counselor assigned to a specific grade, and peer-led support groups and contacts, in addition to a college counselor, a school nurse, teachers, and administrators who are all tasked with looking out for kids’ social and mental welfare. This is part of the safety net that an intimate private-school community can provide. With multiple people looking out for every student, it’s harder for problems kids are facing to slip through the cracks. Given statistics about teenage and even pre-teen depression and violence against themselves and others, finding a community that will provide the support for every student couldn’t be more crucial. In conclusionWhile every school is different and should be considered on their own merits and faults, the previous seven attributes usually set private schools apart, giving their students a leg up in their K-12 education and beyond. As we’ve seen, the advantage of a private education so often boils down to sheer resources. From small class sizes, to cocurricular programming, to strong student to teacher/counselor/ administrator ratios, private school students receive more personalized time and attention than their public school counterparts. Add in curricular flexibility, academic rigor, test scores, and college admissions, and it becomes clear why so many parents ultimately opt for a private education.

Any parent who has compared kindergartens, considered differing approaches to middle school, or wondered how to best prepare a student for college knows that decisions about a child’s education can be paralyzing. For many parents, one of the biggest questions is choosing between private and public school. What are the real, tangible benefits of a private education? Is it really worth the cost of tuition? While each family has to make these decision for themselves, there are concrete benefits of a private education worth considering. Here are the top seven most impactful ways a private school education can go above and beyond to give students a truly enriching learning environment and, ultimately, a leg up in the world.Small class sizes and individual attentionBut the benefits of small class sizes don’t stop there. Smaller groups of students allow teachers to be flexible in the classroom and change things up if a particular lesson isn’t resonating. Additionally, as hands-on learning, active problem-solving, and small-group collaboration continue to prove fruitful, especially in the STEM fields, small class sizes become all the more important. With fewer students, classroom management becomes far less of an issue and the “organized chaos” of on-the-ground problem-solving is allowed to thrive. Rather than stiff lesson plans, this environment breeds innovation, creativity, and critical thinking around real-world problems—all necessary for students to be successful in today’s world. In this way, ‘small class size’ isn’t just a touchy-feely buzzword; it’s a real advantage for private schools and their students.Speed of implementation and flexibility with best practices in educationAs anyone who has ever worked at a big company or organization knows, sometimes huge institutions are slow to evolve and bureaucracy can get in the way of progress. Because private schools are not held to public school guidelines, assessments, and standards, they are free to try new things and teach beyond standardized curricula. While plenty of private schools issue standardized tests, they are on the whole more empowered to teach beyond the test and push students beyond the core competencies. Administrators and teachers are allowed to shape their curricula and programming to meet the specific needs of their school or individual classrooms. When educators have the flexibility to shape their lesson plans to their students interests and needs, kids become more involved and more passionate schools outperform their public school counterparts in terms of academic rigor and test scores. With more personalized attention and the resources to hone and adjust curricula, private schools often can teach more efficiently and push their students to excel. Private school students generally do better on standardized tests, and they benefit from greater academic rigor. Private schools have the freedom to incorporate advanced material, in the form of electives for older students and extra units ona subject for younger students, that harnesses student interest and gives kids a taste of the world of knowledge that awaits them. Partnerships with local universities and/or industry professionals is another way that many private schools build bridges to the future for their students. Additionally, highly selective admissions’ processes mean that, for many private schools, the academic bar is simply set higher. This means that a C student, who may be at the bottom of their class at a private school, is still often out-performing a C student in a public school. Of course, there are also wonderfully academically rigorous public schools out there, but—for better or worse—even the perception itself that private schools are more academically challenging goes a long way in terms of student success. In the college process for example, university admissions counselors make assumptions about the kinds of schools and level of academics that kids are coming from—and they often make these assumptions along public and private school lines. Teaching to the whole child—arts, athletics, cocurricularsIn order to have a visible edge over their public school counterparts and be truly competitive with their fellow private schools, independent schools must provide valuable experiences beyond traditional academics. The performing and visual arts is an area where many public schools just can’t invest their resources, but these programs draw out creativity and help their participants think through problems in new ways. Athletic programs are incredibly important for cultivating teamwork and work ethic in diverse situations, as well as maintaining healthy minds and bodies. Cocurriculars like debate, language clubs, coding and robotics teams, or model UN expand kids’ horizons and get them passionate about new and different areas. Together, all of these programs educate the whole child, going beyond a strict five-subject model to help kids use different parts of their brains and explore what ignites their imaginations. The very best students are almost always mathematicians and violinists, literary scholars and lacrosse players, poets and robotics whizzes. This kind of well-rounded educational model doesn’t just help kids attain their personal best, however, it’s also what colleges look for. Teaching to the whole child—character building, citizenship, serviceGreater resources and a commitment to “the whole child” also apply to less concrete but equally important areas of education devoted to building character, citizenship, community, and a sense of service. Of course plenty of public schools, their teachers, and their administrators cultivate these qualities in their students as well, but—as with so many things—the WOODWARD ACADEMY about their education. Teachers love this freedom too, which is reflected in teacher satisfaction and tenure rates in independent schools.Along these same lines, private schools also can implement cutting edge research, pedagogies, and technology faster and more efficiently than their public school counterparts. Many private schools even have a specific administrator in charge of keeping the school’s academics and technology in line with best practices and the latest research in the field. Being part of the conversation and a forerunner in the field of education has repercussions in every aspect of a school—from academic pedagogies, to resources and technology, to athletics and the arts, to social and behavioral health. When schools can incorporate best practices without going through the hoops of the unwieldy bureaucracy of public education, they can keep their students abreast of latest trends and developments in every aspect of their education, and thereby better prepare them for the real world—which certainly won’t wait for them to catch up. Academic rigor and test scoresThe above two factors— small class sizes and speed of implementation—feed directly into the third item on our list: private private school advantage is in providing formalized, resourced programs to support such initiatives. Rather than relying on exceptional faculty and staff to devote extra time and effort to developing their students’ moral compass or role in the community, many private schools have infrastructure and funds explicitly designed to support these areas. For example, school-wide sustainability education and initiatives make kids keenly aware that their actions affect the people and the world around them. A strong commitment to anti-bullying programming can be vital to creating a safe and happy community. Diversity and inclusion training that goes deeper than buzzwords to actually address kids’ differences—and their questions or conflicts about these differences—is crucial. Curricula and programming with both a global and a community-oriented emphasis instills citizenship and drives home the point that every student has a real impact on their school, their local community, and the world. Building a sense of service through school-wide volunteering or giving-back programs similarly involves kids in their communities and sets up habits that translate to a lifetime of positive and compassionate contributions to the world around them. As you can imagine, a logical extension of all of these areas involves behavior and discipline. Students make fewer bad decisions when they’re steeped in a community culture of respect and honor, and formalized initiatives go a long way in creating that. When kids buy in to the social contracts of a community—whether because they understand the reasoning behind them or just because they would be the odd one out if they didn’t buy in—it becomes ingrained to treat themselves, each other, and their communities with respect. Most parents agree that at the end of the day, there’s really nothing more important.College Preparation and SuccessOf course, there are also the strategic, practical steps that lead to a life of success. College preparation matters—from college counseling, to parent programming about the application process, to support and advocacy for kids as they battle through increasingly hyper-competitive admissions environments. Why is all of this such a help? Well, the rumors are true: the college application process is a beast. There a lot of different steps, loads of paperwork, deadlines that seem to always sneak up, and plenty of fine print—and that’s not even getting into the world of best practices, test prep, tips, hacks, or other “insider info” that can help kids conquer the college admissions game. For the hopeful college-bound student, a college counselor becomes an incredibly important ally.While many public schools have college counseling programs, the same logic applies as with teacher to student ratio. A counselor who is responsible for 400 kids just can’t give them the attention of a counselor responsible for only 40. Similarly, counseling offices that have more resources and dedicated time have the luxury of thinking about the whole process, avoiding the mad dash in the fall of the student’s senior year. Students and parents under expert college counseling guidance will know early on exactly what’s coming down the pike. They’ll be on top of standardized testing in their freshman and sophomore years, and be building a high school resume that reflects their goals and PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC SCHOOL | BEYOND THE GATE EDITORSambitions for life after high school. In one of the most important steps, college counselors will know enough about each and every one of their students to help them find and select “best fit” colleges, so they’re not wasting time applying to schools that don’t fit their personality, don’t offer what they need, are too much of a “safety school,” or are plainly out of reach from an admissions standpoint. Because of the management of all of these logistics as well as access to the advocacy and connections of a great college counselor, private school students really do have a leg up in this difficult process.Multiple mentors and mental healthCollege counseling is a primary and important example of a larger trend in private schools: providing multiple interpersonal connections for every student. Every kid is different and benefits from a team of professionals to look out for them as they progress, academically and socially. With ever more emphasis on the importance of social, behavioral, and emotional health for both individual students as well as school communities, creating multiple touch points for every student is absolutely vital. Again, so often this just comes down to resources. At many private schools, students have an advisor assigned to them and a small group of other students, a mental health counselor assigned to a specific grade, and peer-led support groups and contacts, in addition to a college counselor, a school nurse, teachers, and administrators who are all tasked with looking out for kids’ social and mental welfare. This is part of the safety net that an intimate private-school community can provide. With multiple people looking out for every student, it’s harder for problems kids are facing to slip through the cracks. Given statistics about teenage and even pre-teen depression and violence against themselves and others, finding a community that will provide the support for every student couldn’t be more crucial. In conclusionWhile every school is different and should be considered on their own merits and faults, the previous seven attributes usually set private schools apart, giving their students a leg up in their K-12 education and beyond. As we’ve seen, the advantage of a private education so often boils down to sheer resources. From small class sizes, to cocurricular programming, to strong student to teacher/counselor/ administrator ratios, private school students receive more personalized time and attention than their public school counterparts. Add in curricular flexibility, academic rigor, test scores, and college admissions, and it becomes clear why so many parents ultimately opt for a private education.

Any parent who has compared kindergartens, considered differing approaches to middle school, or wondered how to best prepare a student for college knows that decisions about a child’s education can be paralyzing. For many parents, one of the biggest questions is choosing between private and public school. What are the real, tangible benefits of a private education? Is it really worth the cost of tuition? While each family has to make these decision for themselves, there are concrete benefits of a private education worth considering. Here are the top seven most impactful ways a private school education can go above and beyond to give students a truly enriching learning environment and, ultimately, a leg up in the world.Small class sizes and individual attentionBut the benefits of small class sizes don’t stop there. Smaller groups of students allow teachers to be flexible in the classroom and change things up if a particular lesson isn’t resonating. Additionally, as hands-on learning, active problem-solving, and small-group collaboration continue to prove fruitful, especially in the STEM fields, small class sizes become all the more important. With fewer students, classroom management becomes far less of an issue and the “organized chaos” of on-the-ground problem-solving is allowed to thrive. Rather than stiff lesson plans, this environment breeds innovation, creativity, and critical thinking around real-world problems—all necessary for students to be successful in today’s world. In this way, ‘small class size’ isn’t just a touchy-feely buzzword; it’s a real advantage for private schools and their students.Speed of implementation and flexibility with best practices in educationAs anyone who has ever worked at a big company or organization knows, sometimes huge institutions are slow to evolve and bureaucracy can get in the way of progress. Because private schools are not held to public school guidelines, assessments, and standards, they are free to try new things and teach beyond standardized curricula. While plenty of private schools issue standardized tests, they are on the whole more empowered to teach beyond the test and push students beyond the core competencies. Administrators and teachers are allowed to shape their curricula and programming to meet the specific needs of their school or individual classrooms. When educators have the flexibility to shape their lesson plans to their students interests and needs, kids become more involved and more passionate schools outperform their public school counterparts in terms of academic rigor and test scores. With more personalized attention and the resources to hone and adjust curricula, private schools often can teach more efficiently and push their students to excel. Private school students generally do better on standardized tests, and they benefit from greater academic rigor. Private schools have the freedom to incorporate advanced material, in the form of electives for older students and extra units ona subject for younger students, that harnesses student interest and gives kids a taste of the world of knowledge that awaits them. Partnerships with local universities and/or industry professionals is another way that many private schools build bridges to the future for their students. Additionally, highly selective admissions’ processes mean that, for many private schools, the academic bar is simply set higher. This means that a C student, who may be at the bottom of their class at a private school, is still often out-performing a C student in a public school. Of course, there are also wonderfully academically rigorous public schools out there, but—for better or worse—even the perception itself that private schools are more academically challenging goes a long way in terms of student success. In the college process for example, university admissions counselors make assumptions about the kinds of schools and level of academics that kids are coming from—and they often make these assumptions along public and private school lines. Teaching to the whole child—arts, athletics, cocurricularsIn order to have a visible edge over their public school counterparts and be truly competitive with their fellow private schools, independent schools must provide valuable experiences beyond traditional academics. The performing and visual arts is an area where many public schools just can’t invest their resources, but these programs draw out creativity and help their participants think through problems in new ways. Athletic programs are incredibly important for cultivating teamwork and work ethic in diverse situations, as well as maintaining healthy minds and bodies. Cocurriculars like debate, language clubs, coding and robotics teams, or model UN expand kids’ horizons and get them passionate about new and different areas. Together, all of these programs educate the whole child, going beyond a strict five-subject model to help kids use different parts of their brains and explore what ignites their imaginations. The very best students are almost always mathematicians and violinists, literary scholars and lacrosse players, poets and robotics whizzes. This kind of well-rounded educational model doesn’t just help kids attain their personal best, however, it’s also what colleges look for. Teaching to the whole child—character building, citizenship, serviceGreater resources and a commitment to “the whole child” also apply to less concrete but equally important areas of education devoted to building character, citizenship, community, and a sense of service. Of course plenty of public schools, their teachers, and their administrators cultivate these qualities in their students as well, but—as with so many things—the WOODWARD ACADEMY about their education. Teachers love this freedom too, which is reflected in teacher satisfaction and tenure rates in independent schools.Along these same lines, private schools also can implement cutting edge research, pedagogies, and technology faster and more efficiently than their public school counterparts. Many private schools even have a specific administrator in charge of keeping the school’s academics and technology in line with best practices and the latest research in the field. Being part of the conversation and a forerunner in the field of education has repercussions in every aspect of a school—from academic pedagogies, to resources and technology, to athletics and the arts, to social and behavioral health. When schools can incorporate best practices without going through the hoops of the unwieldy bureaucracy of public education, they can keep their students abreast of latest trends and developments in every aspect of their education, and thereby better prepare them for the real world—which certainly won’t wait for them to catch up. Academic rigor and test scoresThe above two factors— small class sizes and speed of implementation—feed directly into the third item on our list: private private school advantage is in providing formalized, resourced programs to support such initiatives. Rather than relying on exceptional faculty and staff to devote extra time and effort to developing their students’ moral compass or role in the community, many private schools have infrastructure and funds explicitly designed to support these areas. For example, school-wide sustainability education and initiatives make kids keenly aware that their actions affect the people and the world around them. A strong commitment to anti-bullying programming can be vital to creating a safe and happy community. Diversity and inclusion training that goes deeper than buzzwords to actually address kids’ differences—and their questions or conflicts about these differences—is crucial. Curricula and programming with both a global and a community-oriented emphasis instills citizenship and drives home the point that every student has a real impact on their school, their local community, and the world. Building a sense of service through school-wide volunteering or giving-back programs similarly involves kids in their communities and sets up habits that translate to a lifetime of positive and compassionate contributions to the world around them. As you can imagine, a logical extension of all of these areas involves behavior and discipline. Students make fewer bad decisions when they’re steeped in a community culture of respect and honor, and formalized initiatives go a long way in creating that. When kids buy in to the social contracts of a community—whether because they understand the reasoning behind them or just because they would be the odd one out if they didn’t buy in—it becomes ingrained to treat themselves, each other, and their communities with respect. Most parents agree that at the end of the day, there’s really nothing more important.College Preparation and SuccessOf course, there are also the strategic, practical steps that lead to a life of success. College preparation matters—from college counseling, to parent programming about the application process, to support and advocacy for kids as they battle through increasingly hyper-competitive admissions environments. Why is all of this such a help? Well, the rumors are true: the college application process is a beast. There a lot of different steps, loads of paperwork, deadlines that seem to always sneak up, and plenty of fine print—and that’s not even getting into the world of best practices, test prep, tips, hacks, or other “insider info” that can help kids conquer the college admissions game. For the hopeful college-bound student, a college counselor becomes an incredibly important ally.While many public schools have college counseling programs, the same logic applies as with teacher to student ratio. A counselor who is responsible for 400 kids just can’t give them the attention of a counselor responsible for only 40. Similarly, counseling offices that have more resources and dedicated time have the luxury of thinking about the whole process, avoiding the mad dash in the fall of the student’s senior year. Students and parents under expert college counseling guidance will know early on exactly what’s coming down the pike. They’ll be on top of standardized testing in their freshman and sophomore years, and be building a high school resume that reflects their goals and PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC SCHOOL | BEYOND THE GATE EDITORSambitions for life after high school. In one of the most important steps, college counselors will know enough about each and every one of their students to help them find and select “best fit” colleges, so they’re not wasting time applying to schools that don’t fit their personality, don’t offer what they need, are too much of a “safety school,” or are plainly out of reach from an admissions standpoint. Because of the management of all of these logistics as well as access to the advocacy and connections of a great college counselor, private school students really do have a leg up in this difficult process.Multiple mentors and mental healthCollege counseling is a primary and important example of a larger trend in private schools: providing multiple interpersonal connections for every student. Every kid is different and benefits from a team of professionals to look out for them as they progress, academically and socially. With ever more emphasis on the importance of social, behavioral, and emotional health for both individual students as well as school communities, creating multiple touch points for every student is absolutely vital. Again, so often this just comes down to resources. At many private schools, students have an advisor assigned to them and a small group of other students, a mental health counselor assigned to a specific grade, and peer-led support groups and contacts, in addition to a college counselor, a school nurse, teachers, and administrators who are all tasked with looking out for kids’ social and mental welfare. This is part of the safety net that an intimate private-school community can provide. With multiple people looking out for every student, it’s harder for problems kids are facing to slip through the cracks. Given statistics about teenage and even pre-teen depression and violence against themselves and others, finding a community that will provide the support for every student couldn’t be more crucial. In conclusionWhile every school is different and should be considered on their own merits and faults, the previous seven attributes usually set private schools apart, giving their students a leg up in their K-12 education and beyond. As we’ve seen, the advantage of a private education so often boils down to sheer resources. From small class sizes, to cocurricular programming, to strong student to teacher/counselor/ administrator ratios, private school students receive more personalized time and attention than their public school counterparts. Add in curricular flexibility, academic rigor, test scores, and college admissions, and it becomes clear why so many parents ultimately opt for a private education.