More and more parents are discovering the advantages of private schools. In 2016 alone, there were approximately 2.63 million elementary school students enrolled in private schools throughout the United States. Currently, 25% of all the schools in this country are private. This includes pre-kindergarten through the twelfth grade.

If parents are considering public school, there are several issues reported by public school teachers that may be of interest. Student apathy, for example, has been reported by 21% of public school teachers. When students don’t care, or don’t appear to care, about their school work, this can definitely be a problem. Just four percent of private school teachers, however, have reported that their students are apathetic.

Parent involvement also tends to be an issue at many public schools. According to 24% of public school teachers, a lack of parental involvement has been a problem at their schools. When considering their private school counterparts, only three percent of these teachers have reported that parental involvement is an issue. One of the reasons for this is that private schools encourage parents to be more involved in their children’s education. Furthermore, the parents that send their children to private schools tend to already be more involved in this facet of their children’s life.

Private school counselors also spend a large percentage of their time focusing on college-related counseling with their students. This tends to amount to approximately 55% of the time they spend with students. Public high school counselors, however, have reported that they spend just 22% on this important aspect of being a school counselor.

While some public schools may set and meet high academic standards, this isn’t always the case. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores tend to average higher at private than public high schools, for example. The national average for public schools is 1060, while it is 1235 for private schools. While one of the reasons for this is due to students receiving more individualized attention at private schools, it is also due to having a vigorous college prep curriculum in place.

It’s also important to note that due to high SAT scores and other factors, more private school students apply to and are accepted by colleges and universities. Approximately 95% of non-parochial private high school graduates attend four-year postsecondary institutions. This is almost twice as many private than public school students, where just 49% attend four-year postsecondary institutions.

Given all the advantages of private schools, it’s not surprising that more parents are choosing a private education for their children. When parents are in the process of deciding whether they should send their children to a private or a public school, it can be beneficial to learn even more about the advantages of private schools. Before making a final decision, it’s an excellent idea for parents to visit the schools they are considering for their children. At this time, they will likely realize that a top private school is the best option.