About to look at 3 private elementary schools this weekend what kind of questions should I be asking, what should I be looking out for?

Submitted by beachcity t3_10ngw3h in newjersey

Like the title says, unfortunately we live in one of the few NJ towns that have below average schools compared to the rest of the state, when we first bought, we figured that by the time the kids were school age, we would move to a better town, but anything in our price range would be a massive downgrade. Are there any basic metrics or data that we should be asking for to see how they compare to one another or vs our towns public schools?

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S1r_Loin t1_j68mspl wrote

>one of the few NJ towns that have below average schools compared to the rest of the state

Is that how averages work?

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oldnjgal t1_j68o8sq wrote

How many students are in a class? What support services are provided for students who need special assistance? What assessment tools are used to evaluate student growth and competence? How are deficiencies identified through this assessment remediated? How many minutes a day are spent on Language Arts and Math instruction? Are the teachers certified in their areas of instruction? (Don’t just ask if they are certified. They might have one PhysEd certified teaching LA)

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MrsPebble t1_j68zxld wrote

You’ll be able to get a good sense of the school when you visit. Different private schools will pride themselves on different things, which are hard to compare (some are super into traditional academics; some are more into making sure the kids have access to meditation class and woodshop). See if you can find other families that go to the schools, maybe they have a facebook page or something, and you can ask direct questions there about each place. I don’t really love ranking schools based on metrics/test scores/etc, because private schools and public schools are totally different beasts. Private schools can decide who they want there, and can “counsel out” kids that might need more services than they can provide (that IS something I’d check with them, if your kids end up needing more services — can the private school handle that?). Public schools take everyone, and that will affect the rankings/test scores. As far as moving to a town with better schools, do keep in mind that two kids in private school will run you probably $40k each year, minimum, unless you qualify for financial aid. I’m a huge public school proponent (after teaching in a private school and a parochial school), so just think long term. And I remember reading somewhere that the biggest indicator for success, regardless of whether a kid goes to private or public school, is parental involvement. You clearly care a lot about your kids, so I have a feeling that no matter WHERE they end up, they’ll be just fine. :)

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shakeituppp t1_j6bnphm wrote

I’d try hard to utilize your public schools. Student success mostly hinges on having involved parents, which you are.

My kid currently goes to a catholic school since we moved from the city and it was what he was used to, but catholic/private schools out here are nothing like the ones in the city and I can’t wait to switch him to public school.

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