As you think about the educational options available to your children, you’ve probably noticed clear distinctions between three different types of schools: public, private, and charter.
From a distance, these categories seem neat and definitive. Upon closer inspection, however, parents (and students, educators, administrators, policymakers, and other stakeholders) tend to notice a significant amount of overlap between them, as well as fine distinctions and differing approaches within them.
It’s also important to note that educational institutions can be categorized in other ways, such as “independent” versus “district-affiliated.” The “independent school” category may include both traditional private and public charter schools, further muddying the picture.
Nevertheless, examples stand out within each category, whether it’s Oregon’s Delphian School in the private/independent school realm or the Chicago International Charter School in the charter school space. Notwithstanding the important differences between individual schools, it’s helpful for parents to understand how each type of school is structured, funded, and —most important of all — approaches its educational mission.
What Is a Public School?
A public school is an educational institution that gets a significant amount of funding from local and state governments, and is governed to a significant degree by public entities (school boards) composed of elected officeholders.
Groups of public schools — anywhere from one institution to dozens or even hundreds — are organized into school districts overseen by school boards. Individual schools, and sometimes smaller units within schools (such as individual grade levels), may be governed by parent- or community-led committees.
The “public” sources of public school funding include various forms of taxes, often levied on property owners but sometimes on individual and business income as well. The details depend on local and state laws and policies, which can be complicated and are subject to change from time to time. Public schools generally do not charge tuition (educational instruction fees) to individual families.
Public schools can also get funding or other forms of material support, such as textbooks or technology, from private donations, government or nonprofit grants, and other sources. They may also charge fees for certain activities or services, or request donations of money or supplies from families under certain circumstances. Often, organized “booster” groups of parents and other community members band together to raise funds for athletics teams and other extracurricular organizations.
What Is a Private School?
A private school is an educational institution that receives limited or no financial support from public sources and has correspondingly less public oversight. Although private schools must still adhere to certain legal and educational standards, they have more freedom to organize their affairs and design their own curriculum than public institutions.
Private schools are also known as independent schools. Most belong to private, nonprofit associations that help organize athletics and other extracurricular activities. They typically charge tuition, which covers costs related to classroom instruction and educational materials, and may also add fees for certain supplies or technology. However, most private schools offer income-based scholarships to increase economic diversity within their student bodies. In some states, school voucher programs allow families to pay private school tuition with public funds.
Private schools can be residential, “day,” or both. Residential schools are also known as boarding schools. They have residential facilities where students live during the school year. Day-only schools do not have residential facilities.
What Is a Charter School?
A charter school is a sort of hybrid model that has some attributes of public schools and some attributes of private schools. Charter schools generally receive significant amounts of public funding while also having more flexibility to organize their affairs and set educational standards. They typically charge tuition, but some or all of it may be offset by public vouchers or income-based grants.
Charter schools are “chartered” by state governments in partnership with local districts, and state policy determines how they operate. Due to vast differences in state policy, charter schools are uncommon in some places and extremely common in others. Often, charter schools find traction in larger districts where enrollment or measures of student performance have declined significantly.
Benefits of Public Schools
The benefits of public schools include:
- No tuition charges and relatively low non-tuition fees
- Often conveniently located near the student’s home
- Transportation is generally provided by the district, if desired
- Before- and after-school supervision may be available at little or no additional cost
- Meals may be provided in school at little or no additional cost
- Larger districts may have a variety of subject-focused or thematic “magnet” schools, such as language immersion or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Benefits of Private Schools
Parents may choose to send their children to private school because they:
- Have more flexibility to shape their curriculum and educational philosophy
- May pursue unique approaches to education that aren’t common in the public sector
- May offer residential options, which can build character and open up new opportunities
- May offer unique extracurricular opportunities, such as multi-day field trips, that are less common in public school settings
- Often have higher quality rankings than families’ local public schools
Benefits of Charter Schools
Charter schools’ benefits include:
- Often conveniently located near the student’s home
- The local school district, or another public authority, may provide transportation
- Tuition may be lower than at similar private schools
- May have unique approaches to education that public schools can’t or don’t pursue
- May have more specific, tailored themes or subject-matter focus than equivalent public schools in the same district
Which Model Is Best For Your Child?
Let’s be clear: Children are remarkably resilient, more so than we give them credit for. Your child, specifically, is most likely capable of thriving in a stunning variety of educational settings and benefiting from a diverse range of approaches to teaching and learning.
Nevertheless, you know better than anyone else how your child learns best. And with that knowledge comes the responsibility to place them in a situation that gives them every opportunity to excel.
Will that situation involve a traditional public school? A private school? A charter school? Home schooling? Some other, hybridized model?
Only you can answer this question for certain. It’s an important decision that, while not quite irreversible, shouldn’t be made lightly.