I have never forgotten my first experiences with private schools. Eldest daughter was 3. We had a brand spanking new preschool at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Bay Shore, Long Island, New York where I was the director of music. We filled out an application form and she was in. (It was slightly more complicated than what I am letting on, but relatively simple nonetheless.) The fees? Perhaps $100 a month for a daily session which ran from 9 until noon. A few years later we were applying to the Waldorf School in Garden City, Long Island, New York, for 4th grade. Five years after that she was accepted at Kent School. Daughter number two's story is similar. My two boys attended parochial school in Nassau while we lived there.
I am telling you all of this because I was blissfully unaware of all the stuff which went on behind the scenes on the school side. All I cared about was whether or not I could afford the tuition. Years later when I founded a private school and actually had to run it, I learned the back end in detail. That's what I will share with you so that you can make the right choices and get the facts and information you need to know.
So, where do you begin?
Decision Making
Most parents decide to send their child to private school at any one or all of three stages in their child's life. Pre-school, primary and high school are the three points when most of us think seriously about private school.
Thinking About Private School?will help you focus on the issues involved with getting into private school and related details like paying for it.
Questions and Answers
If this is your first exposure to private schools, it can be confusing. You will have lots of questions. Not to worry. The main thing to remember is that you are about to invest in your child's future. Approach it from that point of view and it becomes a little easier to deal with. More fun too.
Questions Parents Ask Most Often and Private Schools In A Minute should answer most of your questions about private schools and how they work.
Searching For Private Schools
Finding private schools is relatively easy as most of them now have web sites. A Google search on any school name you happen to know or want more information about will give you lots of search results to explore. The following pages on this site will take you to school web sites. I have sorted schools by city and state as well as by type, to make your searching a little easier.
Myths About Private SchoolsMisconceptions and myths abound about private schools. They are only for rich kids. The academic load is too much for the average child. Schools are not diverse. Not so. Private schools are all about academic excellence. They are safe places where it is cool to be smart. And they are remarkably diverse.
Choosing a School 101Choosing a School 101 is your road map for choosing a private secondary school for your child. Explore the various parts of the journey in sequence or jump to something that interests you. You decide. Everything you need is here.
One last thing: we all learn from each other. Please share your experiences and thoughts in the Private Schools Forum. We all would love to hear from you.
