A child’s education is the key to his or her entire future, so naturally, all parents are invested in finding the finest schools for their children. There are plenty of options out there, from the best preschools to the best private middle schools or highly rated public high schools, and anything in between. Art schools and summer camp can also augment a child’s education, which can really pay off in the long run. How to find these schools? When a child becomes old enough for preschool or kindergarten, or when the family moves to a new city or county, the parents may conduct an online search such as “top private schools in miami” or “top private schools in miami high school” or “good preschools in san diego ca”. A search such as “top private schools in miami” may show a whole list of results, and parents can choose from among them.
Finding Preschools
A preschool education is not mandatory the way a K-12 education is, but many parents in the United States are sending their children there all the same. More and more parents have been doing this since 1990, and going to preschool better prepares a child for elementary school. Children aged three to five may be enrolled, and preschools can be either public or private. Parents may look up local preschools online, and strike out those that aren’t accepting new students or those deemed too far away. The family may then visit the rest in person in a tour.
At a preschool, the whole family will get a fair impression of what the school is like, and the parents may consult the teachers there. Parents may review the teachers’ credentials, such as their educational background, work history, and any awards or recognition they may have. The prospective student, meanwhile, may determine if they feel comfortable in the school and like the staff. If so, that may be promising. The parents can also look into the school’s level of funding, and while private preschools charge tuition, they often boast strong funding and may give a child a real head start in their education. The family may tour a number of preschools this way until they find one they like, and the child may be enrolled there.
Finding Middle or High Schools
Something similar can be done when a family moves to a new city or county and they need to find a good school for their child. An online search should specify what sort of school they are looking for (elementary, middle, or high) and also clarify if they are looking for private or public schools this way. The search query may also include the clients’ ZIP code to keep results local in a large city. A query such as “top private schools in miami” may show private middle and high schools in that city, for example. The parents can strike out unsuitable schools from a results list, and tour the rest with their child.
During these tours, the prospective student may explain why they did or did not like a school, and the child may describe any clubs or activities they want in a school, such as dedicated art programs, well-funded sports teams, a swim team, a marching band, or anything else. A good school is one where the student is accepted by their peers and is adequately challenged by the coursework.
Public schools are federally run, owned, and funded, and are the majority. One in four schools is a private one, and a the name suggests, they are privately run and funded. Unlike public schools, these charge tuition, but in exchange the student gets an excellent education at the hands of top-tier teachers with extensive credentials. These schools are often well-funded and may boast many clubs and extra programs for the students. What is more, teachers at private schools report much lower incidence rates of student apathy or a lack of parental involvement than public school teachers do. Private high schools offer more college counseling services than public high schools, and over 90% of private high school grads go on to college, comparing favorably to 48% of public high school grads. Still, a highly rated public school may be nearly as good in some cases.
