What are parents deciding factors in where their child will go to school? Is it the education, religion, safety, or views that they share? There are many factors in choosing where your child will go to school and at times it can get stressful. Choosing a school varies between all parents depending on their child’s needs and their morals and views. There are different aspects to both and both have positives and negatives.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Obviously, most parents put their children in public schools and are generally more chosen than private schools. When you are a Christian parent, religion and what will be taught to your child is very important and most likely one of the top deciding factors in where your child will go to school. Of course parents also want a school that will provide their children with a good education and safe environment.

USA Today published that “throughout the 12 studies done in the last 15 years, 11 showed that students who attend private and faith-based schools had higher reading and math scores and high graduation rates and college attendance.” The private school environment is generally a smaller environment giving the teachers more time to focus on each student individually and work with each student in what he or she is struggling with.

The Cato Institute did a research that found what the top five reasons why parents choose private education over public include:

• Better student discipline (50.9%)
• Better learning environment (50.8%)
• Smaller class sizes (48.9%)
• Improved student safety (46.8%)
• More individual attention for the child (39.3%)

The Association of Christian Schools International and Barna ran a research and the Christian parents all had a similar response as to why they enrolled their children in private Christian schools which was the fact that they “want to prioritize spiritual goals like a love for God and other people and the ability to apply their knowledge.” It is very true and there is no doubt, in most cases, that spiritual development will take place, especially if you have spent most of your life in a private Christian school.

The Public Discourse conducted a meta-analysis of more than ninety studies on education. The results were surprising to some people and showed that public and charter schools are not as successful and American parents should highly consider private Christian schools as an option for their children. The data showed that students in “public charter schools did no better than students in traditional public schools.” With that being said, students from religious private schools performed better than the charter and public school students academically. The meta-analysis also did a study on student behavior. “The results indicated that youth from faith-based schools maintained even a larger edge in behavior than they did in school academics. That is, pupils from religious private schools exhibited fewer behavioral problems.”

The Washington Examiner, provided by nwef.org, also researched the safety of private schools saying that students are

• 8% less likely to have physical conflicts among students.
• 12% less likely to have students using illegal drugs.
• 18% less likely to have gang activities at school.
• 28% less likely to have student possession of weapons.

The Weekly Warrior also conducted our own interviews with two students from Heritage Christian School. Adriana Meliksetyan, a senior at Heritage and former public school attendee, had this to say when asked what the biggest difference between coming from public school to a private Christian school, “I grew up in public school, so there was a big difference. In public schools, the curriculum was really strict and I couldn’t talk to my teachers and ask for help. In private, I could really ask questions and talk to my teachers. It was much more personalized and ‘you’ oriented in private than in public.” Adriana finds it easier to ask for teachers’ help and also feels like the teacher cares more in private schools.

The class sizes are almost always smaller than public schools which gives students more opportunities to create close bonds and also more attention on each student individually from the teacher. TopTier Admission says, “The large student populations in public schools can strain available resources, leading to an insufficient number of teachers and support staff. Overcrowded classrooms may compromise the ability of teachers to provide individualized attention, impacting the overall learning environment. This also limits the bandwidth of teachers to provide students with high-quality guidance and mentorship.”

When asked if there are any positives or negatives to public or private school, Adriana said, “The positives of public education would definitely be a more in depth education. I learned more in depth and strictly in public versus in private. In private, everything is cleaner and neat. It’s smaller and I am able to form better relationships. Everything is just easier in private.”

The Weekly Warrior also interviewed another student who attends Heritage Christian, who also came from a public to a private school, Junear Mansour. When asking Junear what the biggest difference between coming from public to a private she said, “In a private school, you are really protected and safe, while in a public school you’re exposed to everything and you have to make a choice between bad and good.” Mansour was also asked if there are any positives or negatives to both, she replied, “It’s bad how boxed in you are in a private school because when you get exposed into the real world you don’t know what to do. But in a public school you’re exposed to too much and as a child who’s trying to impress everyone you can easily go the wrong route.”

All of this is important to consider when choosing a school for your child. When you have created a really strong relationship with God, being in an environment that reflects that is very important. Choosing a safe environment and private religious schools, although they are not perfect, definitely provide the safety and care for your children. Although you have to pay for a private school, you are getting quality education, safety, and being taught the word of God and the values taught in the Bible. It is super important that parents take a look into and research schools before choosing a school for their child and definitely do not overlook the private faith-based schools.

Commissioner Peggy Carr recently shared @EdNCES data at @usedgov‘s Private School Leadership Conference. Thanks to Catholic schools’ continued participation in NAEP, we have been able to share data on their performance for over 20 years. https://t.co/Qv8j0bIwf5#EdData pic.twitter.com/gvbhZaY4Kf

— NAEP, The Nation’s Report Card (@NAEP_NCES) October 4, 2024

Though much research would say a private education would be best for their child, a lot of parents still consider public schools. When doing research, it is important to find a good public school that aligns with your values, although it can be hard. U.S. News says that According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “public schools still attract far more students than private schools, with 50.8 million students attending public school as of 2019. Private school enrollment in the fall of 2019 was 4.7 million students, down from 5.7 million in 2017.”

Tuition can also be a deciding factor based on what a family’s income is. Private schools generally cost money and can be over families budgets, especially with parents who have more than one child, while public schools are at no cost. For example, median tuition at independent day schools for grades K-12 was $27,408 as of September 2022, according to NAIS. Students who have disabilities might also be better off attending public schools. “Public schools are required by law to provide access to “a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensure special education and related services to those children,” according to the U.S. Department of Education on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. The department says 7.5 million children were receiving services in public schools under IDEA as of the 2020-2021 school year. Public schools may have more opportunities and more options for classes.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Deuteronomy 6:7–8

There are many deciding factors in choosing what school best suits you. Many people have many different opinions and options. Some of the deciding factors that parents consider are faith, education, safety, cost, and more. These all vary for each family but it is very important to choose a school that shares the same values as you and a school that provides the most safety for each student. For example, if your children do better in smaller environments then maybe the route of private school would be much more beneficial and be a better atmosphere for the student.