Education is one of the most important investments that you can make for your child. However, as much as we’d like all schools and educators to be one in the same, that simply isn’t the case. There are many different options for education that will affect the type and quality of your child’s learning.
There are:
- Charter schools
- Private schools
- Public schools
- Homeschooling
- Hybrid schools
But which one gives your child the best chance of success?
Here are a few helpful tips to help you answer this lingering question and choose the best school for your child.
Compare Academic Test Scores
If you live in or around a large city, the chances are high that you have several public schools to choose from in addition to private schools. Test scores are public knowledge and should be compared when choosing schools. Not only should you compare the test scores of each school, but also look at the previous years’ trends.
Are they improving or not? This can give you an idea of how they are managing to improve the quality of their education in their district.
Check On Student-To-Teacher Ratios
Smaller schools tend to have smaller class sizes, which is a good thing when picking a school for your child to attend.
This means there is more opportunity for one-on-one time with your child and their teacher, the teacher can focus more on each student, and also limits the chances for disruptiveness.
Visit Each Contender
One thing that many people don’t realize is that most schools will allow you to sit in on a class or two so that parents can get a feel for how a typical school day would look like for their child. This is a great way for you to also see how the teachers interact with the children, their routine, and gives you an opportunity to talk to the teachers and principal about your child attending their school and ask any pending questions.
Consider visiting the top two or three schools for a second time to really hone in on your decision.
Decide What’s Important To You
When deciding on a school for your child, make a list of everything you find is important from an educational perspective. Ask about their curriculum, what the school values and how they prepare children for continued education beyond grade school.
Importance also doesn’t have to just be academic-focused either. Consider the diversity of the school, your child’s social skills and the extracurricular activities they offer – all of which play important roles during these critical learning years for your child. At Faith Academy, our curriculum prepares your child to be successful academically, socially, and spiritually, which we find have been important factors when parents are deciding on a school for their child.
Overall, making an informed decision based on your values and what you’ve learned about the schools is how you truly make the best decision for your child. Be patient when going over the pros and cons of each school, and have a backup plan should your first option fall through.
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