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Ten Reasons to Love Public Schools

9. Transportation
Your child will probably get a free lift to school compliments of the school bus.

10. Price tag
Public schools are not free. You pay with your tax dollars. The thing is, you pay whether you send your child there or not. If you pay for private school on top of public school, you’re shelling out a bundle.

Public school quality varies widely and is largely dependent on two things: parental involvement and the principal. All students are different. One child could be miserable in a particular school, while another blossoms. Don’t rely on neighborhood scuttlebutt to grade your public school. Visit for yourself. Like Henry and Shannon, you might be shocked … in a good way.

First published March 2009

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Key terms (tags) for this article:
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Comments

I really wanted to unschool, which is a version of homeschooling, our two kids, but my husband and I couldn't come to an agreement. They've both gone to a Montessori private school for preschool and come this Fall our oldest will start Kindergarten at a public school. I know there can only be one decision made about how to school the kids, but I regret not even getting to try unschooling before settling for traditional school.

I've read all through this & wondered why homeschooling was not mentioned as an alternative. So many things mentioned in the article, like transportation and supplies, are simply not an issue with homeschooling. It takes dedicated parents to do the job right but more and more are seeing the advantages. Four of my 7 grandchildren (my daughter's) are homeschooled & they are thriving. They go to "school" in the morning but then go to the Y for gymnastics & swimming, to 4-H for all sorts of activities, to a nearby jr college for science, art classes etc They play soccer & baseball. The 12 yr old recently tested 2 grades above. The 9 yr old who has mild learning problems is reading at a 7th grade level. You can bet we have interesting family dinners - one of our sons is a H.S. principal (who uses the old line that they'll be socially inept - simply not true, they're full of self-confidence & are friendly) & our other son is a jr high history teacher (he wishes he'd been homeschooled)

If you don't know already, homeschool is a very viable option for many people. It costs a little, materials and maybe books, but nowhere near as much as private school, and Bonus! It gives you complete and direct control over what your child is learning. (Of course, I would rather children get to choose for themselves, but guidance is required). The largest drawback I can see is that one parent would have to stay home, but many families already have one stay-at-home parent. I wish you the best, and hope to see more homeschoolers out there!

I am glad you live in an area where you have a good ps system. The school my son attends is in a district that has stopped the real basics like cursive in the 5th grade. Their main concern is testing for funding and to show that the teachers can teach the kids how to take a test. I want you to look for my article about this because I have so much more to say...Sha

I'll admit I was disappointed when I was told the local private school's kindergarten was full, thus sending my son off on the bus to public school... Now, 6 months later- I am thrilled that the decision was made for me. I am fortunate that the town is building a new school that my kids will benefit from, and has sealed our deal w/ the public school system. I am a strong believer that no matter the school system, it is the parental involvement in their child's education that makes the difference.