How are private schools better than public schools?

It's not private schools that are so special...it is the public education in this country that is an absolute joke. They teach to the lowest-common denomenator, meaning the entire class slows down for the slowest kid. They spend hours going over safety regulations and other rules instead of teaching, a huge waste of time and resources. While many public schools teachers are well-meaning, many lack the necessary degrees, equipment and experience to do their jobs properly. You should be thankful that you got the opportunity for a privete education. The strictness is good for you, I know you don't see that now, but you will in a few years and that is when it will really matter. If you took an apptitude test right now, you would most likely blow away your public-school counterparts. Some public highschools have upper-tier programs (AP and IB) but if you are already in highschool, it is too late for IB and AP is not guranteed. Furthermore, without the strictness, you may find yourself sinking to the level of your least-intellignet/least motivated classmates. Also, if you aren't the one paying for the school, don't worry about the money. This is something your parents think is money well-spent and I couldn't agree more. Good luck to you!

Actually, most times private school teachers don't get paid more. They are paid by the institution whereas public school teachers get paid by the state. The state is willing to give more money to the schools, thus raising the teacher's salary. Private schools don't get money by the state, and that is why tuition is so high. They need to pay their teachers.

Private schools are just as good as public school i think, and it really doesn't matter for college, two boys from my (public) high school graduated with full scholarships to Yale.

I went to private, Catholic school from kindergarten through sixth grade. Them from seventh grade until graduation I went to public school because I moved to a neighboring suburb. Now I currently have a masters and have a bit of time to reflect on my experiences. I believe that the structure and discipline taught in a private school are more crucial for development in the early years than a public school provides. I just remember seeing the lack of respect for teachers when I switched school environments and could not believe it. In terms of education quality. I will lean towards private school in the early years, but public in later years. In my experience we weren't allowed to use calculators for math. This forced us to use mental skills and paper and pencil to figure things out. This put me at a strong advantage when I switched schools. But the downfall my private school was they didn't have the resources to put advanced students into advanced classes, and this is where public schools have the advantage. It isn't what is being taught, rather how, and the learning environment in which it occurs in. I hope this helps you out.

What makes private schools better than public schools is simple: The students. In a private high school you find yourself in a culture of success. Every student in the school is college bound. In a public high school, many students consider the completion of high school the end of their academic career. The high achieving students in public schools get a top notch education by selecting rigorous academic classes, but the average student less so.

Some private schools, maybe not yours, ARE a lot better academic-wise. Granted, it may be stricter and less fun, but some parents feel that they want their kids to learn more and like you said, have it look better for colleges. I personally go to a public high school, and I enjoy it. Private schools also recruit for sports around here, and they win the Leagues at every single sport, so I guess thats another thing. But I don't think I would ever spend all that money on a private school.

Private schools are not better than public schools, and you are right - they work towards the same outcome. The reason people say public schools perform worse academically is because public schools take ALL students; they don't hand-pick their classes. Thus, we get both extremes. Private schools don't - they take the top and the average, but not the bottom (usually citing behaviour as the reason). Incidentally, there was research done in Australia a few years back that showed that, on average, public school graduates performed better in tertiary education than private school graduates. EDIT: joanby, it might interest you to know that private school teachers have the EXACT SAME degree as their public school contemporaries, so get off your high horse

I go to a public highschool and my really close friend goes to a private. It is really expenisve, but her school is Catholic even though she isnt. Teachers MIGHT be better at private schools since they get paid more but I think what is learned is pretty much the same. If you want to convice your dad, i think you should put together some sort of report comparing the too. He might even see teh light!

i dont realy think theres that much difference. i go to to public school and i like it there its less strick and i get to hang with my friends a lot. enjoy public school!