How Private Schools Prepare Your Child For College

When you are seeking a better education for your child, you might be considering finding a private school. A private school will have an advanced curriculum and try to prepare each student for college and beyond. These days, there are more options than ever when it comes to schools. If you are looking for a middle school near me, check out local lists of schools to get a feel for all of the private schools that are nearby. This is a good way to find an in-person private school as well as those that are exclusively online. Finding an accredited online private school can help you to see other options that you might not have considered before. There are many schools that offer affordable online high school courses from private schools. There are also public schools that offer online courses that can be taken from home. Many families find these to be very convenient, especially if there is any traveling that you want to do or your child has some special needs. There are so many options today that it is possible to find just the right school for virtually any child.

Do you have high goals of your child attending a great college? Do you want them to succeed academically and socially? College admittance rates and college success preparation begins when the child is young. Waiting too long to prepare your child for college can leave you disappointed. They may not grasp the necessary skills to be competitive to a good college. They may not make it into their academic program of choice. Private schools do a lot to prepare children for college and success beyond the college years. There are many benefits of private school education when it comes to college preparation.

Children get used to high expectations

Some children struggle with the transition into college. Colleges often expect much more academically from students. They may expect them to spend multiple hours of studying and researching each and every evening. College age students may have to juggle this high work load with jobs and familial obligations. One of the biggest causes of poor college performance is the inability to balance multiple obligations at once.
Private schools, however, teach children these high expectations at a young age. Children that are as young as preschool aged may have homework each evening. By the time private school children make it to high school, they are used to the study work load and are able to manage their time to include things like jobs, social activities, and extra curricular activities. Most parents of private school children are satisfied with the amount of work that is expected of their children. For parents who send their kids to private schools, 80% are happy with the academic standards.

Better test taking skills

College is full of exams and testing measurements. A child who does not learn successful test taking skills is likely to struggle in any college program. One of the biggest benefits of private school educational programs is that tests mimic what the children will see in college programs. Classes are often set up with minimal graded homework and grades are calculated based on test stores, similar to college grading systems. Smaller class sizes help children establish these important test taking skills. Private school classes are much smaller, with 12.5 students for each teacher compared to 15.4 students in each public school. Even children with learning disabilities will see in improvement in test taking skills with the extra teacher attention.

Better academic programs

Most college level sporting activities are extremely competitive. This often means that the try out process is very selective. Because of better funding, one of the benefits of private schools is their sporting programs. Academy middle schools athletics often have better training rooms, coaches, and equipment. Children who are interested in a sport can take it more seriously, making them more competitive when it comes time for college level try outs. The sporting programs also allow them to compete for scholarships and learn important time management skills.

Multiple honors programs

Honors programs give students who want more of a challenge the opportunity to take highly advanced classes. Public high schools may be limited as to how many honors programs that offer. However, another one of the important benefits of private school programs is that they often have many honors programs to choose from. Dedicated teachers are able to offer more advanced and interactive courses. In a study completed by the Fraser Institute in 2007, 91% of parents surveyed said the dedication of the teachers was their main reason for choosing private school.
College is an important stepping stone in the transition of school to the adult world. College preparation should begin as early as preschool. Children who wish to be competitive in their college search will need necessary skills such as time management, exceptional test taking skills, and the ability to multi task. Public schools often focus on teaching these skills to children at a young age, so they are better able to make that adjustment into their college years.