Are you thinking of moving your child from public school to private school? But are you wondering when is the best age to move your child to private school? Should you move your child during the elementary school years? Or should you wait until your child is in middle school or high school before making the move to private school? There is no one size fit all answer for all families and the decision to make the move is also highly dependent on your child’s personality, current school situation and academic ability. Below we will discuss the pros and cons of moving your child to private school during the elementary school years, middle school and high school years.
Move Your Child to Private School During Elementary School
There are many advantages to moving your child to private school during elementary school. First the social adjustment will be easier if you move your child to private school during elementary school years. Your child will also benefit from small class size and child centered learning when you move him/her to private school during elementary school years.
Social Adjustment is Easier
Moving your child to private school during elementary school years usually means the social adjustment will be easier for your child. Compared to the preteen and teenage years, young children usually make friends easier. The social adjustment of moving your child during elementary school will be easier than if you move your child during middle school or high school. If your child is shy or have a harder time making social adjustments, then it’s beneficial for your child to move to private school during the elementary school years rather than waiting to make the move when he/she is in middle school or high school.
Read our article on: 5 Reasons Why Private School is Better for Shy Kids
Benefit from Smaller Class Size
When you move your child to private school during the elementary school, he/she will benefit from the small class size. Young children benefit greatly from the personalized attention they will receive in a classroom with less children. Private school classrooms are also more nurturing since the teachers are more focused on teaching each individual kid rather than managing a big class. If your child is shy or needs extra attention from teachers, then you should make the move to private school during elementary school. Your child will benefit from the small class size and extra attention. But if your child is a kid who adjusts well socially and does not require much personalized attention, then you can hold off and wait to move your child to private school during middle school or high school.
Too Much Independent Work at Public School
If you noticed that your child is spending a lot of time doing worksheets and learning independently on devices during the school day, then you may want to move your child from public school to private school. Studies have shown that kids in elementary school don’t do as well with independent type learning. Young kids do better with collaborative and project based learning where it is more child centered and fun. If your child is in a learning environment with a lot of independent work then you may want to look for a private school with less independent learning and more collaborative, project based learning. In general private school teachers are less likely to lean on independent work because the class size is smaller which means they have more time to devote to teaching each child.
Easier to Get Into Private School
In general, it is easier to get into private school during elementary school years. That’s because the admissions process is easier at the elementary school level. If you are applying to kindergarten, you don’t even need to take an admission exam. While if you apply for admissions in middle school or high school, your child will be required to take standardized exams like ISEE or SSAT exams as well as spend the day as a student in school. If you are applying to a competitive private school, your child will be competing with very smart kids and usually these private schools are highly selective and the chances of getting admitted can be quite low. If your child is average in his/her academic aptitude, I suggest you get in early and apply to private schools during elementary school. While if you have a child who is smart and in honors classes, then you can wait before you move your child to private school.
Move Your Child to Private School During Middle School or High School
You Save Thousands on Tuition if You Delay the Move to Private School
Private school tuition is expensive, delaying the move to private school can save you thousands on tuition. For example, elementary school tuition for competitive New York private schools are in the $40,000 range. If you wait until middle school before you move your child to private school then you save almost a quarter of a million dollars! While if you wait until high school before you move your child to private school, your savings are over $350,000! The savings definitely adds up! It may be worth waiting until middle school or high school before moving your child to private school.
Read our article on: Is Private School Worth It for Elementary School?
You Have A Better Idea of Who Your Child Is
Delaying the move to private school until middle school or high school years gives you more time to know who your child is so you can find the private school that best fits your child. In general, it is usually difficult to know who your child is during the elementary school years. But at the middle school and high school years, you will have a better idea of your child’s personality and interest. For example, you may have a child who likes theater so it can be beneficial to find a private school with a strong performing arts program. You wouldn’t know that your child is a budding actor/actress until he/she is probably around 10 years old or older. Your child’s academic ability will also not be evident until at least grade 3 or later. Athletic abilities will also not be evident until later in the child’s development. So because of this, it may be a good idea to hold off and wait until middle school and high school before making the move to private school so you can find the school that best fits your child.
You Have a Smart and Gifted Child
If you have a gifted child and your public school has a strong honors program, it may make sense for you to keep your child in public school for elementary school and make the move to private school later on. Most public schools track their students, sometimes as early as 1st grade. If your child is smart enough to get into the honors program at the public school, then he/she will be learning at an advanced rate, usually at one or 2 grade levels above. While at private schools, the honors programs at usually starts in the middle school or high school years. So if you have a smart and gifted child, it’s actually a disadvantage to move your child to private school during elementary school because there is no honors program. If you live in a public school district with a strong honors program, I’d wait until middle school or high school before I move my child to a private school. Of course, if the private school you are looking at has a strong elementary school honors program, then you may not want to delay the move to private school.
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