The majority of children in the United States attend public schools for their primary, secondary, and even post-secondary education, and for good reason, too. Primary and secondary public schools do not charge tuition, they are usually conveniently located, and provide fairly predictable coursework for students because the curriculum is state-regulated. Even with all of the benefits of a public education, more and more parents elect to send their kids to independent schools for a multitude of reasons. Instruction The administration and instructors at independent schools generally surpass their peers in the public system. Generally, private institutions are considerably more selective with who they hire and only pursue the most highly qualified applicants. Additionally, educators at private institutions across all levels deal with smaller class sizes as a rule. This allows for considerably more one-on-one instruction, which leads to a more thorough, personalized education for each student. Reputation The reputation of independent schools goes a long way on college applications. These institutions set the standard for grades, test scores, and extra-curricular activities. Because of this, the alumni of private primary and secondary schools benefit from the reputation of the institution. Admission counselors know their coursework was more rigorous and an A at an independent school is considerably more difficult to achieve than a poorly run public one. A large percentage of the student body at most top flight colleges and universities had private primary and secondary educations. Regulation As the name implies, independent schools regulate themselves. This means little to no interference from the state's education board. More importantly, this means these institutions are not subject to incompetently run school systems. They have the ability to adjust as they see fit, which results in a much higher quality education for all students. Independence means the administration can identify and address trends as they appear and without any red tape or bureaucratic entropy. Flexible Curriculum Because private institutions govern themselves, this also means that they are not forced to adhere to state requirements for the curriculum, though most do anyway. The most important benefit of this is that this allows the schools to provide extraordinary coursework. For example, if parents want their children to have their education supplemented with a religious curriculum, a private education is by far the best route. Or, if a parent has a child particularly gifted in the arts or some other specific subject, they can send them to an academy with an exceptional art, science, or whatever department it is the child excels in. Taking all of that into account, it is worth remembering that a private education comes at a price. However, it is an investment that famously pays off. Get your child the best education possible. Learn more about Florida independent schools at Saint Edward’s School: http://www.steds.org/florida-independent-schools.
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