<p>Well, I go to a fairly competitive public school, and I am in the IB program, so most of my classes are just with IB kids. So, in my situation, I am fine with public school. However, I can see that there are definitely benefits to attending a private school…I just don’t like the elitist attitude which many of the private school students I have met have. I would prefer not to be in an environment with people who are pretentious and spoiled if at all possible. Of course, this isn’t true for all private school students…some are genuinely nice and down to earth people.</p>
<p>inb4 anti-private school rant</p>
<p>Lol…well, I thought I would play the devil’s advocate since everyone else seemed to be supporting private schools. Sorry if I offended anyone.</p>
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<p>Yeah, the students are smarter on average because their parents are “successful” financially, but that is not why they are so dominant in the admissions process. I’ll provide statistical proof here. </p>
<p>Now, I don’t mean to offend anyone (especially if you attend the school I’m about to dissect). It’s nothing personal. I just want to prove there’s something more internal (say, counselors with connections) that helps certain private schools. </p>
<p>Take a look at the Haverford school, an all boys “elite” private school in my area. </p>
<p>The tuition is 31.8k per year in HS ([The</a> Haverford School: Admissions » Tuition & Financing](<a href=“http://www.haverford.org/admissions/tuition-and-financing/index.aspx]The”>http://www.haverford.org/admissions/tuition-and-financing/index.aspx))</p>
<p>~9% of kids get NMSF per year ([The</a> Haverford School: Academics » College Counseling » School Profile](<a href=“http://www.haverford.org/academics/college-counseling/school-profile/index.aspx]The”>Academics & Test Scores - The Haverford School | All Boys Pre-K–12 Private School))</p>
<p>The class size is ~90, so ~8-9 kids get it per year. ([The</a> Haverford School: Academics » College Counseling » School Profile](<a href=“http://www.haverford.org/academics/college-counseling/school-profile/index.aspx]The”>Academics & Test Scores - The Haverford School | All Boys Pre-K–12 Private School))</p>
<p>So 8-9 get above a ~215 on the PSAT…
But the school last year sent: 9 to Penn, 4 to Harvard, 4 to Dartmouth, 2 Cornell, 2 Princeton, 1 MIT, 1 Yale, 1 Stanford. I only counted the top colleges, but obviously there are a bunch of great schools the others went to also like UVA and georgetown etc. Keep in mind also that this is the matriculation number, not the acceptance number (which is higher). So that’s 24 people going to the most selective colleges in the US while only a third of them got NMSF. It’s a very strange ratio, and very unbalanced compared to most schools (certainly my public school).<br>
([The</a> Haverford School: Academics » College Counseling » Acceptances & Matriculation](<a href=“http://www.haverford.org/academics/college-counseling/acceptances-matriculation/index.aspx]The”>http://www.haverford.org/academics/college-counseling/acceptances-matriculation/index.aspx))</p>
<p>Obviously these numbers provide a limited scope, but to add, private schools like this only participate in sports leagues with other private schools. As far as I know it doesn’t participate in the usual competitive events that public schools do like Sci O, academic challenge, FBLA, etc. The school also got rid of AP classes in place of classes of their own to add “more rigor” but from anecdotal evidence the classes are pretty easy. </p>
<p>And of course, this private school is not representative of all private schools (I know plenty of pvt schools that have less than stellar admissions records; usually religiously affiliated ones). But I simply would like to dispel the idea that “rigorous academics” and “smarter students” is not what separates private vs. public or the reason why private schools excel. The rich, as with many things, have grounded connections and it shows :P.</p>
<p>^ + infiniti</p>
<p>@Crazypluto those are some interesting stats. I know Exeter has similar results, and I’m sure there are many more privates like the two.</p>
<p>It depends on the nature of the private.
I go to a religious private high school, therefore it is not specifically focused on academics, if that makes sense.
I’d still say that my private high school is better than local area publics, but there are two big cons: </p>
<p>Ranking 2/19 looks horrible compared to likely ranking 5/400</p>
<p>The lack of weighted Honors and AP courses (We have one AP offered and a few honors. I have a 4.0 UW gpa and only a 4.3 weighted because the majority of the most advanced classes offered are standard weight.)</p>
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<p>Exeter is one of those private schools that TRULY are competitive and probably deserve their reputation. It’s almost like a magnet school. </p>
<p>But schools like Haverford really aren’t academically exceptional from what I’ve seen (anecdotal evidence is the best I can provide). From friends and people I know in the system, I can actually offer tons of anecdotal evidence as to how academically lax it is, but I’ll refrain cause it sounds really bitter/biased when I type out what I’ve heard or know. But if you just take in low #s (both SAT and GPA) and the limited number of extracurriculars (notable exclusion from Sci O, FBLA, quiz bowl etc), that’s enough. Also, being “captain” of a track team of 5-25 people is not the same of being the captain of the track team of a relatively larger public school. Same goes for clubs. Given the small student population at pvt schools, it’s relatively easy to get these club “president” or sport team “captain.” </p>
<p>Again, what I’m saying doesn’t apply to all private schools. But a notable number from what I’ve seen and looked into.</p>
<p>Another interesting thing to note about private schools is their athletics. Private schools often participate in sports like crew which public schools rarely offer. In that way, a ton of crew members get recruited from private schools to elite schools. I personally know several who have gone to top schools (Harvard, Princeton) through this route.</p>
<p>My public school is pretty boss so I’d probably stay here. It is a top CA public though, and the parents donate millions every year. We’ve won state in a bunch of sports a bunch of times, science bowl is going to nationals, acadeca to state, etc. We have 15+ APs, and probably send 10/400 to top schools, and another 30 to UCB/UCLA. The nice thing is that the bottom 3/4 doesn’t care that much so it’s pretty easy to stand out academically. I would prefer a private school only if it offered the same EC stuff but with more attention in academics. But I wouldn’t want to go to a more competitive private. I feel like its more beneficial to stand out in public school, unless it’s one of the “feeder” privates.</p>
<p>I think they’re both terrible in their own special ways. <3</p>
<p>I went to private school all my life up until high school, when I transferred to my local public school. Probably one of the best decisions of my life. Private school is often an insulated little bubble of higher-income people with a lot of the comforts of life that most don’t have. Public school is infinitely more diverse. Yes, you have to work harder to earn your teacher’s respect; yes, you have to work hard to earn the administration’s attention. But it’s so worth it. Public school may be harder, but you end up learning so much more from the experience. </p>
<p>Obviously, if your local public school SUCKS, then you should reconsider. But often it’s really not half as bad as people in private school make it out to be. My public school has given me far more opportunities than my private school ever would have. My public school is IB magnet and sent me on a yearlong exchange trip to China with a scholarship. And it’s not any special public school. It’s not in some well-known county, and it’s by far not the best in our county. But the point is public schools have a LOT to offer you if you just dig deeper than the surface.</p>
<p>In my area (northwest), I have to say private schools are the better option, though there are cons…
Pros: generally smaller community. More tight knit. Teachers genuinely engaged. Acceptable to be a mathlete and play soccer…it’s okay to break the mold. Academics are competitive. Large selection of AP and college courses. College prep curriculum. Very competitive athletics.
Cons: lack diversity. Small school drama. Big expectations for everyone.
I attended public school for two months and it was terrible. I was in 8th grade and there were juniors in my algebra class and we were three chapters behind where I’d been in private school. We didn’t even get to where I was by the end of the year. When I compare homework with my public school friends I ALWAYS have more, and they’re allowed to take more ap classes. I really feel like the goal of a good private school is to prep you for college, but there’s social cons that go with that.</p>
<p>Bunnywins had an excellent explanation.</p>
<p>It really just depends on what’s available.</p>
<p>There are some things I like about the private schools in my area, but overall, the public schools where I live offer WAY more opportunities.</p>
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<p>Excellent post. My public school is just decent but it has been a very enriching experience.</p>
<p>But definitely there are lots of places where the public school can be a real craphole.</p>