These days, many parents choose to send their children to private schools as an alternative to a public education. However, one of the greatest challenges in enrolling a child in private school versus public school is that the parents need to not only find the right school, but submit an application, as there are often not enough openings for all applicants to be accepted. Throughout the process of searching for the ideal private school, there are a few mistakes that parents should be careful to avoid.

Waiting Too Long to Start Looking

It's never too early to start exploring private schools in your area. Openings tend to fill up very quickly once enrollment starts, so if you can get ahead of the game by figuring out which school(s) you're interested in before enrollment even begins, you may have a better chance of securing a spot for your child. You may even want to consider beginning your quest for a private school the year before your child is set to begin schooling.

Only Visiting Potential Schools Once

First impressions certainly say a lot about a particular school, but it's important to take the time and visit the schools you're considering more than once. Ideally, you'll want to narrow your options down to a few and then visit those final contenders several times. The first time should be a scheduled visit, but if allowed, subsequent visits should be on more of a "drop-in" basis so you can get a more authentic depiction of how the school is run.

Failing to Explore Financial Aid Options

Private schooling isn't cheap, but this doesn't mean that the private school option is only available to families with a great deal of wealth. Many private schools offer different types of financial aid packages; some are based on household income, whereas others are more merit based. Either way, if you're at all concerned about the price tag associated with private schooling, this is worth looking into.

Coaching Children Through an Interview

Finally, if any of the private schools requests to interview your child prior to making an admissions decision, be careful not to over-coach your child for the interview. The school administrators want to get a true feel for your child's personality, so it's best to just let your child be him or herself during the interview. Don't stress it too much and your child will do just fine.Contact a local private school, like Saint Thomas Academy, to get started.