When you are thinking about where to send your child to school you may find yourself in the midst of an overwhelming task. Of course, you always want what is best for your child, but when local, Houston public schools are raising standards and offering more college readiness classes, is the cost of sending your child to a private school really justified?
Additionally, when you start to calculate the rising costs of attending college, the idea of spending money on a high school education starts to seem like just an added expense. That is until you understand all the ways that attending a school that offers one-to-one instruction will maximize your student’s potential for success.
A new Gallup study published recently truly indicates why private education is worth every penny. A key finding of the Gallup analysis shows that graduates of private schools,
“including minority and first-generation students (those who were the first in their families to attend college), outpace their peers who graduated from public and non-private high schools in seeking out many key experiential learning and extracurricular opportunities in college.”
This means, that students who attend a private high school are often more likely to seek out additional opportunities in college that their public high school peers will not.
According to this research, graduates of the Tenney School will be more likely to:
- hold leadership positions in clubs or organizations on their college campuses
- participate in field trips and research studies
- attend additional lectures
- seek out public speaking opportunities
- join academic clubs
- utilize their professor’s office hours
Students who participate in these types of activities often show a high correlation with higher rates of well-being and workplace engagement later in their lives. When a student from a private high school goes off to college it is clear that he or she is prepared to participate actively in whatever opportunities their college has to offer.
According to the National Association of Independent Schools, attending private schools encourages all of their students “to stretch their minds and go beyond academics to develop responsible, independent, and community-oriented students”. That is not to say that your local public school doesn’t strive to reach your students on a deeper level, but the resources and staffing available to your student at a private school are simply more plentiful.
Need more reasons why private education is the right decision for your family?
A Better Ratio:
Private schools have smaller class sizes and more teachers. The bottom line is that students will have more contact with their teachers, more one-on-one instruction and a closer look at how they learn best in a place where they have fewer students to compete for attention against. Your child will not get lost in the crowd attending the Tenney School, we pride ourselves on our ability to offer the most one-on-one instructional time of any school in the area.
Better numbers:
From more class options to higher test scores, private schools just offer more. Children attending private school are significantly more likely to score higher on national tests than their public school peers and this ability to test well continues into college. This is partly due to their exposure to a wider variety of class options which help to prepare students for easier transitions into college level classes and lifelong learning.
Better community:
Being a part of a private school community allows students to become part of something bigger. Students are joining the ranks of legions of students before them. The Tenney School has formed a culture of tradition and superior education which will help students to connect to their peers, and find a pathway to the college of their choice.
We are excited to help your child succeed at the Tenney School. Contact us with any questions you have about why private school is, indeed, the right choice for your family.