High school is an important time for your child and you might be thinking about how to set them up for success as they enter adulthood. If your child has been in public school their entire life, you might not think it’s worth it to transition to private school for high school or you might think it’s too late to change from public to private. However, that’s not necessarily the case, and your child can benefit greatly from a private high school in Clearwater, FL.
In this brief article, the team at our Christian high school in Clearwater, FL has shared a few of the main factors that make private Christian schools different from other schools, and why you should consider enrolling your teen in one.
If faith is important to you, then faith-based education should be on your list of priorities for your teen as they enter high school. High school is often a time when outside influences can take hold in your child’s life, sometimes for the worst. Having the foundation of faith as part of the school curriculum can help better prepare your child for how they should react when those influences are around.
Furthermore, faith-based education helps your teen understand scripture and how it applies to practical situations in their lives. Going to Sunday school and church can provide some of that foundation, but having faith-based education will give your teen the time to dive deeper into critical analysis of the text of the Bible.
Even if a faith-based education isn’t at the top of your priority list, all kids and teens can benefit from smaller class sizes. Unfortunately, due to budget restraints and a lack of resources, public schools often max out their class sizes and your teen can quickly become just another face in the crowd.
In private high schools in Clearwater, FL, you will find smaller class sizes for students of all ages. That means that if your teen is struggling in any particular area, whether it is academically, socially, or emotionally, more support and resources are available. They won’t be battling for the attention of their teachers because the classroom is a more manageable size. Furthermore, class discussions and group work is often more challenging and rewarding when classes are smaller. When everyone has the opportunity to make their voice heard in a classroom discussion, students may be more motivated to participate.
It’s an unfortunate reality, but public schools are in a continual state of change because of budget cuts and politics. Depending on the outcome of any given election, some facets of your teen’s education may be on the chopping block. Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you fall on, we can all agree that putting our kids’ and teens’ education first is crucial.
When you have your child enrolled in a private high school, you can enjoy the knowledge that your child’s future doesn’t rest in the hands of people who haven’t set foot in that high school. You can also get to know the administrators of the school so that you can understand when or why specific decisions are made, and make sure your voice is heard in a way that you simply can’t do with public schools.
In a private high school, there is often a closer sense of community. This community isn’t limited to just your child, but to yourself and your whole family as well. For example, your teen will make lifelong friends, but beyond their friends they will also have the opportunity to build relationships with their teachers, faculty, and staff so that they can better foster growth beyond high school.
For your family and yourself, you’ll have a smaller community full of like-minded parents to connect with. After all, the friendships don’t stop with your teen — you can create lifelong friendships as well. You’ll be invited to engage with the school and get involved in activities that help you grow closer to your teen as well as closer to your community.
If COVID-19 showed us one thing, it’s that a coordinated and clear approach needs to be taken in cases of emergencies. We can’t predict what will happen next with the pandemic, and with any hope things will improve — but if they don’t improve, Christian high schools in Clearwater, FL are prepared. Here at Lakeside Christian School, we have set forth clear guidelines that will take the guesswork out of the way that we handle COVID-19 outbreaks to mitigate future disruption.
Preparing teens for college is an important part of high school, but in public school you may find that college prep is put on the back burner. For students who have become complacent in lesson plans provided by public schools, a private school may offer more challenging coursework to better prepare them for college and beyond.
To take that a step further, it’s important to mention that the focused college and career prep courses in private school are often not available in public school. For example, some public school students may need to hire a tutor for college prep courses, which takes place outside of school time. A private school offers those college prep courses during class time so that your teen can spend their time at home focusing on growing in other areas, and volunteering or working.
With over 40 years of experience and a diverse student body of children who participate both in virtual learning and/or an in-person setting, Lakeside Christian School is built on the biblical principles of loving God and loving others. This care is demonstrated through the warm, respectful relationships among staff and between staff and students, and uses a tailored approach to your child’s education. If you’re interested in learning more about how we challenge all of our students to achieve their academic and personal goals, give us a call.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, a private high school in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.