Seven Questions To Ask Before Choosing a Private School
1) What Are the School’s Beliefs/Philosophy?
When selecting a private school, it’s essential to find a school whose beliefs and values align with your own. After all, one of the chief reasons for selecting a private school is so that your student isn’t forced into learning the same beliefs and values as those taught within the public school system, so why wouldn’t you send them to somewhere where you are excited about what they are being taught?
For that reason, certainly spend some time finding a school where you can be confident and supportive of what is being taught to your student. It’s amazing the amount of impact a Christian school is shown to have on your student’s future beliefs and values themselves.
This probably won’t be incredibly extensive, especially if the school is tied to a certain denomination, as those beliefs are addressed in much more detail by the denomination itself.
However, it’s certainly a red flag if you are unable to ascertain any statement of beliefs. In the worst case, they have no central beliefs. In the best case, they do not consider these beliefs important enough to state them openly online.
2) What Is the School’s Mission?
It’s not enough to just have a set of beliefs; those beliefs should drive us towards action (James 2:17). The private school you select should have a mission and a governing emphasis that they’re passionate about, guiding the way in which they lead their students.
St. Paul Lutheran School in Royal Oak is committed to academic excellence and the development of mind, body, and spirit. Our dedicated teachers and staff create a nurturing environment that promotes motivation, self-discipline, and respect for others. The smaller classes ensure that every student receives the help and encouragement they need to achieve their full potential.
This mission governs every aspect of our curriculum, from the classes to individual interactions between students and teachers, even to school announcements. No matter the moment or situation, we recognize that our students are beloved children of God, and it is our duty to offer them the best education, along with leading them toward a deeper relationship with God.
3) What Are the Class Sizes?
Every school is going to differ in the number of classes and the number of students in each class. This allows for significant differences in the experiences of those attending all of the various school systems.
However, when it comes to class size, smaller ones seem to be better.
There are many studies in which students report a higher amount of student participation, enjoyment, and learning when taught within a smaller class. This is likely due to teachers not having to manage as many students, being able to engage with individual students more frequently, and also allowing them to use more teaching activities that more fully engage the students’ minds and bodies.
One of the ways we have always prided ourselves at St. Paul Lutheran School Royal Oak is our commitment to small class sizes, where each individual student’s learning is prioritized. While some schools do engage large classes well, we have found that too often, there is a reliance solely on lecturing that does not engage students in all of the non-auditory methods.
If you have any questions about our class sizes or teaching styles, we would love for you to contact us and to talk to you more about it!
4) How Does the School Encourage Community?
One of the nice parts about being both a school and a church is that those working at St. Paul Lutheran School Royal Oak will never forget the value of community and relationships. The sad fact is that for many students in America, a school is just a place in which they are confined for many hours of the day until they are inevitably let loose in order to spend time with their actual community.
A school that truly cares about its students should instead focus on building a community inside of the academic sphere. School should be a place where your student feels at home and is able to feel heard and connected.
Private schools especially have the opportunity to build a strong community, usually having a smaller student body and more funding for community-building events outside of the classroom.
When selecting a private school, speak to the school about their efforts to encourage a community within their institution. The school should recognize that building a community involves individuals from every aspect of the student’s life.
For instance, when discussing community-building with the school, it is a good idea to ask questions such as:
- What activities do you have that encourage community?
- What opportunities are there for parents to get involved?
- What types of programs are there in which my students can get involved in order to make friends and learn valuable life skills?
- What events do you host in which my students will be able to involve other members of their circles of influence, such as family, friends, and neighbors?
5) What Is the School’s Location?
Another obvious item to consider when it comes to selecting a school for your student is the actual location of the school. For some, a long commute is a wonderful opportunity for familial bonding, engaging discussion, and quiet contemplation. For most, however, a long commute quickly becomes an exhausting excursion into monotony.
Before choosing a private school, keep in mind that this will be a commute that your student will experience several hundred times a year. Thirty minutes will quickly feel like an eternity when done ad tedium.
Another aspect of location is the quality of the area that the school is located in. Some schools with quality education programs are unfortunately impacted by the negative atmosphere surrounding the school, such as those in dangerous neighborhoods, those stuffed into tiny corners of crowded cities, or those located out in the far reaches of nowhere.
St. Paul Lutheran School is blessed to be located in the beautiful neighborhood of downtown Royal Oak, MI. We have consistently had the privilege of living in an area that holds a delightful compromise of architecture and nature.
6) How Does the School Implement Technology?
The truth of it is that we live in a modern age where technology is becoming a more and more central aspect of the business world. For this reason, it is important for teachers and faculty to incorporate technology into the learning process, hopefully also in a way that does not minimize human interaction.
Likewise, on the opposite side of the spectrum, the school should be training students in important life skills such as time management and knowing when to turn the screen off. When looking for a private school to enroll your student, look for a place that excels at this dichotomy: knowing both the importance and dangers of technology.
7) How Does Your Student Feel?
Even though this is somewhat of a unique topic, one of the most important questions parents should ask when choosing a private school for their students is the feelings and opinions of the student. Of course, at the end of the day, the ultimate decision must be made by the parents, regardless of student opinion.
However, it can not be emphasized enough what a tremendous benefit it is when the student is just as excited about the school as the parents are. Even if you end up deciding to choose a different school than the one preferred by the student, it should hopefully have a positive effect that the student was at least included in the decision process.
No matter where you end up deciding to enroll your student, at the end of the day, make sure that you are not making this decision alone. More important than asking your students for their opinion is asking God for His guidance and direction. Before making any type of big decision such as this, make sure to always first turn to the Lord in prayer!
If you would like to know more about St. Paul Lutheran School in Royal Oak, MI, or if you want to hear our answers to questions such as those listed above, please do not hesitate to contact our office for more information! We would be happy to answer your questions.