As a parent, it is natural to be concerned about your child's schooling and want him or her to receive the best education possible. When it comes time to make decisions about where to send a child to school, it is not uncommon for parents to wonder whether private or public school is the better option. Private school differs from public school is several distinct ways, and there are several benefits to private school, such as:

Type of Curriculum

Public schools are funded by tax money, and in turn, they are required to adhere to a set curriculum and standardized testing as mandated by the state. Since private schools have tuition and do not receive any public funding, they have the freedom to develop their own curriculum to best suit the students, and in many states they are not required to administer state-mandated standardized tests. Private schools gives you the ability to find a school that has a curriculum that best suits your child and his or her academic strengths.

Religious Affiliation

Since public schools are run and funded by the state, no religious education can happen on a public school campus. If your family is seeking a custom curriculum that is designed to help students thrive, along with opportunities for religious education and lessons, private school is your best option. There are a number of private schools affiliated with different religions, and when you send your child to a religious private school you can rest assured that he or she will have the opportunity to grow academically while also furthering his or her learning about your family's faith.

Smaller Class Sizes

In the majority of cases, public schools are required to enroll all students that live within a school's boundaries. Depending on the area, this can result in large class sizes, and teachers may or may not have aides or paraprofessionals to help them during instruction. A tuition-based private school is allowed to select students that meet their admission criteria, and they are not required to take in all students since they are not publicly funded.

This gives a private school the ability to cap class sizes. A lot of private schools tend to have smaller class sizes so each student can receive more attention from the teacher and avoid the distractions that often come from a classroom with more students than one teacher can effectively educate so lessons are retained.