Prep Talk
Tips for Evaluating a Private School
Posted May 6th, 2016
Taking your child out of a public school system and choosing an independent school can seem like a daunting task. It’s never easy, and parents base their decisions on a variety of things, including (but not limited to):
- Class size
- Costs
- Life skills programs
- Sports programs
- Academic excellence
- School community
There can be many factors involved in changing your child’s school. For most, it usually doesn’t come down to just one thing but many small things over time. However, once the decision is made to make a move, the hard part is choosing the right school. Here again, making a choice usually doesn’t come down to one benefit, but a layering. For example, a Canadian parent quoted in an article on the subject in the Calgary Herald noted that the sports activity her daughter was involved in, combined with just the right academic program, turned the tide for her family:
“For Sandi Lacombe, it was a suggestion from her daughter Jaida’s figure skating coach that the girl would be a perfect fit for Edge School for Athletes that led to attending an open house at the school. ‘We were just blown away that night. Not just with the athletics, but the academic program there is absolutely top-notch,’ Lacombe says. After touring the school and speaking with other students, the family was sold.”
For this family, things came together at an open house, and the dominoes fell into place. However, while open houses are a vital tool for making selections, you might need more information before making a final decision. The reasons for choosing one independent school over another can be complex, and outside of affordability, it all comes down to the personality and aptitudes of your student.
Which school’s programs are the best fit? What does the student body look like? What does the teacher/student relationship look like? Does the school have a nurturing environment? Will their sports program give my child better choices and training? These are just a few of the questions parents ask. But in the end, the vetting process is determined largely by the experience the student has when evaluating the school, and the more you can get them involved in the process, the better.
How will you know it’s right?
Finding the right private school is similar to searching for the right college. You can do your due diligence and look at the reputations of the top six schools in your area, and you can listen to each of their admissions personnel explain all the features and benefits. You can even talk to other parents or lurk on the school’s social media sites to see what comments parents are making—and how the school responds to those comments to get a sense of the environment. However, it’s how the school “feels” in person to the student that lets you know if there’s a potentially good match.
At St. Augustine Prep, we feel that our student shadowing program plays a critical role in helping families make the right decision. Many schools have such a program—so it’s important to take advantage of it when conducting your search. Having your child experience immersion with other students in a typical school day gives them a chance to view the school strictly from their own perspective.
Another opportunity to test the waters at an independent school is to have your child attend academic or sports summer programs that school offers. Investing in a summer program is a perfect opportunity to get a longer, hands-on feel for how things work, how faculty interact with other students, and how students interact with each other. A longer interaction helps both you and your child make a more informed decision based on more than just one day’s experience.
Ask the opinions of others, but trust your intuition!
Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth when doing your due diligence. Gathering information, attending open houses, shadowing and experiencing summer programs can supply texture and context, and talking to other parents and students can give you a measure of confidence in your final decision. Just remember that choosing the right private school can be an emotional period for you and your child, and that’s OK. Big decisions like this are never made on logic alone, so trust yourself—and trust your child. You can’t go wrong if you evaluate everything together, and then trust your instincts as a family unit.
For more information on admissions at St. Augustine Prep, contact our Dean of Enrollment Management, Mr. Stephen Cappuccio, at 856-697-2600 (Ext. 112).