How Private Schools Improve College Readiness Part 1

Several studies within the last decade support the fact that students that attend private schools are more prepared to take on college coursework. Furthermore, they are more likely to graduate with a four-year degree. In this two-part article, we will discuss relevant data compiled from several studies on this topic. We will also discuss many of the benefits of enrolling your children in one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL.

At Lakeside Christian School, we offer a highly comprehensive college preparation program that provides elementary, middle school, and high school students with core academic preparation, daily tutoring sessions, homework assistance, and small class sizes that focus on the individual needs of each and every student.

Private Schools are Preferred by Parents

There are several reasons to enroll your child in a private school that benefit both your child and your family as a whole. Not only will private school students receive a first-class education, but studies also support that their parents are generally more satisfied with private school facilities, teachers, and overall standards.

According to data compiled by a 2012 study performed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), private school parents reportedly give high marks in the following areas:

Communication: Private school administrators successfully initiate more effective communication practices with parents. This includes parent-teacher conferences, emailing or calling parents, among other means of communication.
Workload: Parents are more satisfied with an improved student/teacher ratio and a more challenging course curriculum to prepare their child for college coursework. Parents also generally feel their children are required to accomplish the right amount of homework at a private school.
Higher Learning: Private schools meet parents’ expectations in regard to specific educational attainment levels. Whether it’s influential teachers, tutoring programs, or higher scores on standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, there are many benefits to a private school education system.
Community: Parents are more likely to participate in various school-related activities at a private school including fundraisers, conferences, board meetings, in-school events, volunteer opportunities, and other extracurricular events.

Religious Schools Have a Tremendous Graduation Rate

Some studies show that private school students are more likely to obtain a high school diploma, attend a four-year college, and earn a bachelor’s degree. According to data compiled by NCES over a two-year period that began in 2002, 97.2 percent of religious high school sophomores went on to graduate in the summer of 2004 compared to 84.1 percent of public high school sophomores. Similarly, 76.2 percent of these religious high school sophomores were in their second year of college in 2006; whereas, 40.5 percent of public high school students were attending college in the study.

Although the above data was compiled from a study over a decade ago, as we will discuss in the next part of this article, many recent studies released by the SAT and ACT support the idea that private schools meet or surpass benchmark expectations for these standardized tests and better prepare students for their college coursework.

If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, a Clearwater private school, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.