With popular television shows like Gossip Girl, private schools may be appealing to younger generations because of their trendy students and portrayed fabulous lives. But is that really what’s best for your child AND for your budget? Choosing the right school can be a tough decision for any parent and when it comes to private vs. public schools, the debate can be never ending.

Some parents think that the choice to attend (or not attend) a private school may make the difference in your child succeeding in the future versus just getting by. The question every parent has to ask themselves is, is that necessarily true?

The Benefits of Sending Your Kids to Private School

If you answered yes then choosing the right school means paying a premium fee to provide your child with an assumed better education, give them access to invaluable alumni connections and essentially give them an upper hand when applying to colleges. Are you willing to pay that price?

It shouldn’t matter where a child comes from, what school they attend or who their parents are when it comes to college applications. Although, the reality of the world in which we live is that status does sometimes matter. Although this may sound ridiculous even as you read it, the fact of the matter is it may be true.

If private school is the way to go when choosing the right school the next question you need to ask yourself is when should you enroll your kid. Private school can start as early as kindergarten or as late as high school. When you enroll your child depends on admission availability as well as your financial capacity.

Why Choosing Public School Makes Sense for Your Kids

Who’s to say that choosing the right school can’t mean sending your child to public school? Even if the advantages of having access to society’s upper class in private schools is true, there are lots of teenagers who graduate from public school and get accepted into a good college.

According to BabyCenter.com public schools outrank private schools in a variety of factors such as teacher credentials, student body diversity and extracurricular activities.

Presumably it’s also easier to send your kid to public school because there are far more options than private institutions and they’re also probably a lot closer to the proximity of your home. There may be additional time and transportation costs if you need to shuffle your child to and from a private school in another neighborhood.

It All Comes Down to the Cost

It doesn’t cost anything to send your child to puplic school and according to OurKids.net private school tuition can cost as little as 4,000 dollars per year or as much as 100,000 dollars. Now ask yourself if your child’s education is worth it? Or better yet, can you afford it?

OurKids.net also states that there is some financial relief if you decide to send your kids to private school. “Numerous provinces and states, (give) tax breaks when you send your child to private school. This can come in many different forms depending on what state or province you are in.”

So at the end of the day when you’re choosing the right school for your child, are you choosing to send them to public or private school?

Image Source: Pixabay

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