What is the key to student achievement in larger cities? Judging by the test results, the answer just might be private school. Students who attend private school, where the honors program is often the only option for students and high achievement is expected, are outperforming their peers from pre-K to middle school and on into high school.
Children who attend a pre-Kindergarten program are doing better on tests across the board, whether the school is public or private. The millions of American children who go to pre-K post consistently higher test scores than their peers once they get into Kindergarten.
Eight out of 10 children who were pre-K attendees simply performed better across the board than children who did not attend.
Once the children are a little older, making the choice to put a child into a private elementary school, middle school, or high school is often based on the desire to support academic achievement.
Nine out of 10 parents also chose private schools based on the commitment of the teachers involved: with much smaller student enrollment figures, the teachers have more time to spend individually with each child. For children in middle school and high school, there is also a chance to socialize with a smaller group of children: bullying in private schools is reported as being much lower than in public schools.
Not only are academic achievement and social development emphasized in private school or preparatory academy, but student athletes often excel under a coaching system that offers increased supervision and mentoring to who participate.
Most private schools’ enrollment is just a few hundred students, and academic benefits abound: a top private middle school or high school can offer test prep for college-bound students as well as a highly-supervised place on an athletic team, an attractive combination for college admissions officers.
Ultimately, children who go to private schools are posting higher scores than their public school peers on college admissions tests — up to 65 points higher in math and up to 30 points higher in the verbal section, across America.
Although public schools are providing quality pre-K, about one in 10 students go to a private school for subsequent grades, with their parents citing smaller class size and teacher dedication as strong reasons for enrollment.