September 18, 2017
Education is a hot topic these days with a lot of attention on the state of public education in our country. Many public schools are facing budget cuts that lead to large class sizes and fewer resources for teachers and students, raising concerns over the quality of public education.
Because of this, more and more families are choosing private school for their children. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, around 5 million students in the United States attend private school.
If you’re in the midst of the high school selection process and starting to feel overwhelmed with all the factors that go into deciding what’s best for your child, consider the benefits of choosing a private high school:
A private high school has the resources to offer your child the personalized attention your child needs to flourish. Class sizes are typically only between 15 and 20 students compared to the 25 to 30 student cap found in public high schools. With these smaller class sizes, teachers are able to provide students with longer, more complicated assignments that challenge them and keep them better engaged and highly motivated to do well.
The teachers and administration at private schools are focused on offering a rigorous pre-collegiate curriculum to lay down the proper foundation for college. Unlike at public schools where there are strict curriculum requirements, they have the freedom to create a more flexible curriculum to develop well-rounded students.
Does your child want to become a Zoologist or have interest in learning the Chinese language? Private schools provide the opportunity to explore more diverse class offerings like advanced level courses in science and technology and a more robust world languages department. Few public schools have the resources to offer more than just Spanish and French.
Private schools also attract a higher quality of teachers. Because private schools don’t have tenure issues, your child will have the chance to be taught by a diverse group of authors, business leaders and experts in their field (with masters and doctoral degrees) who are all excited about engaging your child in the classroom.
Because developing well-rounded students is a vital part of a private school’s mission, they make it a priority to offer a wide range of sports activities and extracurricular activities. Private schools have the resources to offer not just sport staples like football, baseball and basketball, but also more unique offerings like water polo and squash. They're also more likely to offer full fine arts programs that include instrumental music, a choral program, visual arts and theatre. Too often the arts are the first programs cut in money-strapped public schools.
By becoming a fully engaged student, your child will learn the important time management skills needed to become successful in college and in life. Religion and the preference for a single-sex education also tend to be factors in the selection process. In private schools where religion is important to the overall mission, students are taught to live faith-based lives and to give back to others through a variety of community service programs.
If you think your son would thrive in a private school environment, consider La Salle College High School. Located in Wyndmoor, PA, it is one of the top independent, Catholic college preparatory schools for boys in the Philadelphia area.
Following the tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle, La Salle College High School provides a broad and balanced Christian education and fosters a commitment to academic excellence, service and leadership.
Besides a strong academic core, La Salle offers your son the chance to explore all his passions and interests through unique electives like a course in Zoology or one on R&B, Funk and Latin Concepts, as well as through a wide range of extracurricular activities including over 20 sports.
Interested in your son attending La Salle College High School? This Saturday, La Salle will be holding their scholarship and entrance exam test. To learn more and to preregister for the exam visit https://www.lschs.org/exam.
