Private Schools – An Expensive Educational Alternative
Public school is available for kids from kindergarten through 12th grade free of charge. However, many families choose to pay for their children's primary and secondary education by sending them to private schools. There are many different types of private schools and many different reasons why parents send their kids there. Some private schools are military type and yet others are boarding schools where students live on campus. Some private schools are affiliated with a certain religion. These schools teach a specific faith's beliefs and traditions as well as the regular academic subjects. There are schools run by Catholics, Protestants, Jewish people, Muslims, and Orthodox Christians. There are also private schools that specialize in teaching disabled students.
Some parents choose private schools because they feel that they offer a better education than public schools; others choose private schools because they offer a different type of curriculum. Waldorf Schools, for example, only let children play and use items made of natural materials.
Private schools are also called independent schools or non-state schools because they are not run by local, state, or national governments. They can pick what students to go to their schools. They do this through admission examinations and interviews. There is often an admissions application. Some private schools accept anyone who can pay tuition, or money to send their children there. Some schools charge up to $45,000 a year. Private schools charge tuition because they do not get any money collected from local, state and national taxes. Some private schools offer a limited number of scholarships to help pay for school. Many of these scholarships are need-based, meaning for students who can't afford the tuition. Other scholarships are offered for students with very good grades or for students that have a talent in a sport or art.