Over the past few years, there has been a heated debate on whether private schools or public schools are better. Of course, most students do not look at the facts and research behind which is academically preferred. Instead, students rest their judgements on their own experience. 

To start, private schools are funded through tuition and donors and are not strictly regulated. They also have to fund all programs and pay teachers’ salaries, without the help of federal or state aid. The average annual high school tuition for private schools is around $14,552, and college tuition for private schools is $34,740. 

It would take a vast amount of time to save up the money to cover tuition so students could have a slightly better opportunity as opposed to public schools.

Private schools curriculum is set by the individual charter schools, while public schools have to follow strict curriculum guidelines developed by the state. Like all schools they are still required to teach basic educational requirements, but have more freedom for the curriculum. Teachers are also allowed to focus on what they deem as important. An example is how religious schools are permitted to teach faith-based classes, using the bible or other religious texts. However, religious teachings are banned in public schools, this leads to one of the biggest controversies; teaching creationism vs. evolution in science classes. 

Private schools are known to be well-liked for their smaller classroom sizes and access to one-on-one help between students and teachers. Private schools are also known to decrease parents worry regarding safety issues and it increases children’s exposure to discipline. 

They are also more flexible with scheduling and class choices, whereas public schools do not normally let students change a class unless it is to move up to a Pre-AP class or to move down to an on-level class. 

On the other side of the scholar spectrum are public schools, which are by far the more popular choice for both parents and students. While their class sizes may be larger, there is more variety in the classes students are able to take, there are also more choices for electives and extracurriculars. 

While public schools do like to focus on sports and extracurriculars their curriculum is the basic core classes you hear about every day. There is math, science, english, history, and more. Public school curriculum does not focus on what you should believe in and what students religion should believe, when religion is taught it is for educational purposes and an unbiased opinion only. 

To conclude, there is the broad cost difference in college tuition for public schools. Public college tuition is $9,970, and public high school doesn’t have a tuition, but costs for textbooks and extra activities.

So in the end, it is up to the students and their families to decide which route they want to take for the future. Both public and private schools have their highs and lows, but the main goal both school systems have is to prepare their students as best as they can for the future. 

Contact Anna Baustert at [email protected]