I attended private schools from preschool through middle school. My first public school experience began when I entered Saratoga High as a freshman.
One common perception is that private schools are a waste of money — the early grades at Harker School, for instance, cost parents almost 50K a year — and critics rightly point out that basic most basic skills can be learned either in a public school, at home or in an outside class.
Despite these valid concerns, in my experience, private schools have their place in the educational system and shouldn’t be dismissed because of all the stereotypes associated with them. Here are reasons at least some private schools are worth the cost.
Most private schools require an application process, similar to applying to summer programs or even college, including essays and recommendations. Becoming comfortable with this process at an early age allowed me to know what was generally expected when I applied to summer programs in high school and will likely make the college application process easier.
Besides requiring an application, private schools also use a standardized testing score like the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) or the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE). These tests are somewhat similar to the SAT, with sections like math and reading, allowing children to get a taste of what the actual SAT would be like earlier on.
Another overall bonus is that uniforms are required in many private schools. Even though they could be annoying at times, it was also nice not needing to think about what to wear every morning and not worrying about what others thought about what I wore. At a public school like this one, it can be stressful to wonder if your fashion sense is going to meet with approval from your friends.
Private schools usually also have a more detailed curriculum compared to public school curriculums, especially in English — specifically literature, writing and grammar. Many books I read were very ahead of my grade level and helped me become immersed in both modern and classic literature. As a result, I gained a strong foundation in these subjects, allowing me to easily transition into harder high school English classes.
Presenting my science experiment during the annual science fair.
Occasionally, there were some English books assigned in English 9 and 10 that I had already read in middle school. Already knowing the plot helped me focus more on the concrete details and descriptive languages in the text, giving me an overall deeper understanding of the works. Grammar has also always been a breeze to me. I usually spend mere minutes on the NoRedInk grammar quizzes because of the countless grammar worksheets I had to do in elementary and middle school.
Because most private schools have small class sizes, I had close connections with many of my classmates. And since those schools are not governed by the traditional neighborhood boundaries of public school districts, I know people from all over the Bay Area. Despite ending up at Saratoga High, I still keep in touch with many of my old classmates, many of whom go to private high schools like Mitty, Harker, Saint Francis and Valley Christian.
Sometimes during sports games or academic competitions, I can meet up with my old classmates or see them by chance, and it is always nice to catch up with them.
Despite these close connections with my former classmates, it was hard for me to become close with a friend group coming into freshman year at Saratoga. Because many of my classmates have formed close bonds with each other through middle and elementary school, I found it difficult to form a tight connection with the people around me.
Because I played on sports teams, practices and games helped me quickly form friendships with many of my teammates, but for non-athletes who come into Saratoga from a private school and do not take part in the major academic teams like band or robotics, it can be challenging for them to find and get close with their peers.
To me, the biggest benefit of private schools is that they help hold your hand and guide you throughout your early learning years and at times where you may not know what direction to head in. Public schools, with their larger class sizes, can be more challenging environments for some students who need more individualized attention, but they also provide the chance to form friendships with a wide variety of peers.
In my case, private schools were a good choice despite the challenges of finding new friends in freshman year. Private schools helped me build a strong foundation in certain subjects and prepared me for many tests and the application process that seniors face when they apply to colleges.