Public Schools vs. Private Schools Essay Sample

Education is one of the most important aspects of a child’s life. More often than not, parents want their children to have a good education. So when it comes to private and public schools, which one is the better choice? Tuition, student body, and curriculum often play a part in the decision-making process when choosing between the two.

Tuition is typically one of the biggest factors considered when choosing between public and private schools. For public schools, you do not have to pay tuition as it is paid through taxes and handled by the government. However, there is still a small fee for class and school materials. Private schools, however, can cost from around $4, 000 to $26, 000 per year. This fee may increase as the education gets to higher levels but can include the fee for transportation, meals, classroom supplies, and dorms. This fee can often be a problem for middle-class families who want to send their children to private school, so there are often a lot more families who settle for public school instead.

School and class population can often hinder a child’s individual attention from teachers when going to a public school. A bigger school population generally means larger class sizes, so depending on the number of classrooms in the school, some classes may be moved to portable classrooms away from the main building. This could pose a problem to students who have mobility disabilities. Larger class sizes can also be overwhelming for individuals who have social anxiety or are less assertive. On the other hand, private schools typically have a smaller student body, meaning that class sizes are also smaller. This means that there tends to be a better student-teacher ratio. Smaller class sizes can also give students more leadership opportunities and can be less overwhelming for some more introverted students. Students in private schools may often perform better academically compared to children in public schools as they can receive more attention from teachers and can be taught using a unique learning or teaching method.

In public schools, the school curriculum and teaching methods are often decided by the government as it is funded by taxes. This means that the ministry of education is responsible for creating the curriculums and deciding how things should be taught, and the school is responsible for implementing these guidelines. They are often the same province-wide as they must be suitable for the majority of students in schools. As a result, teaching methods across schools are very similar. Parents can have input on their child’s education by offering suggestions or collecting donations for additional programs such as sports programs or field trips. In private schools, there is more freedom when deciding on school curriculums because they are not funded by the government. Some private schools can also offer some extra courses compared to public schools such as religion, culinary, and extra languages since they do not have to follow budget limitations imposed by the state. There are also other programs that public schools don’t offer, like military, boarding, and gender-based schools.

Each school type has its pros and cons. Public schools cost less and have a curriculum decided by the government, but have a bigger student body. Private schools cost more but have smaller student bodies, and decide their own curriculum. When it comes to choosing between the two, it all depends on what you want for your child.