Public Schools vs. Private Schools

A good education is an essential part of a child’s development. Today, parents have a choice in their child’s education and can evaluate both public and private schools. Although both public and private schools provide education and opportunities for students, parents should evaluate the differences and choose the option that best suits their child and families’ needs. In this paper, I will compare and contrast five major areas that relate to public and private schools including class size, cost, curriculum, services, and teachers. One of the first major differences between public and private schools is class size. Public schools follow state and federal guidelines in regard to class size. Most …show more content…

Private schools can choose whether or not to accept students with special needs. Private schools do not have to follow state and federal guidelines and often do not accept students with special needs because they do not have the services to accommodate them. Many private schools encourage families with special needs children to turn to the public schools for services or attend private school but have appointment outside school for special services such as speech or occupational therapy (Great Schools Staff, n.d.). The way that special education services are handled can be an important part of the decision making process if a family has a child that requires specialized services. The final difference between public and private schools are the teachers. Teachers in the public schools must be certified by the state and hold a teaching license for the grade and or subject that they are teaching (Great Schools Staff, n.d.). By being certified by the state, the teacher has completed a degree and specialized training. In the private schools, teachers don’t have to be certified by the state. Although private school teachers hold a college degree, the degree does not always relate to the subject or grade level being taught (Great Schools Staff, n.d.). There are many things to consider when choosing an education