1. Smaller class sizes promote better student engagement and more individual attention.
Smaller class sizes allow teachers to ensure that each learner’s needs are met. Additionally, smaller class sizes generally contribute to more effective classroom management, which leads to better student engagement, active problem-solving, and hands-on learning. This sort of environment stimulates creativity and collaboration while opening the door to critical thinking about real-world problems. Each of these things not only creates a classroom in which students are known and celebrated, but also a learning environment that represents a real advantage for students.
2. Personalized College Preparation Support
Support during the college selection process matters—from college counseling, to supporting and informing parents throughout the application and scholarship processes, to advocating for kids with college admissions counselors. The college process is increasingly competitive and, unfortunately, can be very stressful.
Just like with the small class sizes mentioned above. Private schools are often able to provide more individualized attention to their students and families. Private school college guidance offices work with families early on to know deadlines, best practices, tips and test prep techniques to help students navigate the process. They’ll help students build their high school resume and will know students personally, helping them find and select the school that is the best fit for them.
3. A dynamic learning and teaching environment without the bureaucratic red tape.
Smaller organizations are generally much more agile than larger ones, and it’s hard to imagine a larger organization than the government. Government schools, by their very nature, are designed for massive scale. This doesn’t mean that they can’t adapt to innovation and emerging best practices, it just means that they do so slowly. Because private schools don’t have as much red tape, they are free to try new things and teach beyond a state-standardized curriculum.
Beyond just giving standardized tests, private school teachers are often empowered to teach beyond the test and extend instruction beyond the basic core competencies. Administrators and teachers are able to shape instruction and to meet the specific needs of students in their classrooms. This makes for lessons that are rich, relevant, and rewarding.
4. Academic rigor and better student outcomes.
Private school students generally score higher on standardized tests, and they benefit from greater academic rigor. With more personalized attention and the opportunity to modify curricula, private schools often can more effectively reach each student in their Zone of Proximal Development, providing both extra review and more advanced material as needed.
They also often have innovative academic programs that capture student interests and provide real-world learning through partnerships with local universities and/or industry professionals.
5. Empowering the whole child - arts, athletics, and extracurriculars
Many public schools don’t have the resources to support robust extracurricular and cocurricular programming in the form of athletics, arts, and clubs. In those public schools that do have some of these opportunities, the size of the student population often makes it extraordinarily challenging for individual students to have the opportunity to excel in multiple arenas. However, in private schools, it is often the norm. Broad opportunities exist for students to participate in multiple activities, ranging from athletics to arts, and across a wide array of clubs and cocurriculars.
It’s not uncommon in private schools to see the lead in the musical also be a captain of a varsity sport or the president of a debate team. Private schools are unique in their ability to help create well-rounded “renaissance” men and women. This kind of approach to a “whole child” education not only helps kids reach their full potential, it also sets them apart in the college application and scholarship processes.
6. An emphasis on character and spiritual formation with a team that shares your values
Up until now, any of the points above could apply to private schools of either a Christian or secular nature. However, a final differentiator exists in Christian schools alone.
At its heart, a Christian school partners with parents in their most fundamental duty: training up the child (Proverbs 22:6). Each student in a Christian school benefits from intentional mentorship and support from coaches and teachers who share your faith and your values.
In a Christian school, it is the Gospel that forms the basis for conversations regarding social, behavioral, and emotional health. Not only do Christian schools devote time to building character, community, and servant leadership, but they do so within an environment that intentionally points the student towards Christ. While there are certainly Christian educators within both public and secular private schools, Christian schools explicitly recruit, train, and equip their faculty and staff in order to disciple the students in their care. They also intentionally allocate resources and time throughout the day towards discipleship and the cultivation of Christian character.
It takes a community to provide the best support for every student. In a Christian school, advisors, counselors, nurses, coaches, teachers, and administrators all pulling in the same direction help lead, disciple, and support students throughout their formative years.
Conclusion
While each school should be considered on its own merits, there are clear advantages to selecting a top-tier Christian school. Christian schools point to Christ as a foundational distinctive. From there, small class sizes and low student/mentor ratios allow students to receive more personalized care. Greater curricular flexibility, academic rigor, and test scores lead to better academic outcomes, and when this is combined with the added support available during the college admissions process, students graduating from top-tier Christian schools often have significant advantages.
