About Private Schools

What’s Not to Like About Private School?

When critics inveigh against private schools, they tend to pick on issues such as the following.

Everybody’s Rich

Looking at most private schools’ beginnings, you will discover that their original clientele was not children from wealthy families. Many of the founders of schools back in colonial times, the Phillips family, for example, saw education as the way forward for the infant democracy in the United States. For the nation to survive, it needed a literate, educated, proficient population.

European crusaders like Dr. Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf Schools movement, began their work among the poor and working classes. Their teachings captured the imagination of the American middle and upper classes when their movements spread to the United States.

Over time, as the schools expanded, they became highly prized for what they accomplished, namely providing an excellent academic education combined with sports and solid core values. Market forces conspired to drive the cost of education up. Social forces conspired to make private schools the place where the elite sent their children.

In the 21st century, egalitarian ideas once more have the upper hand. Private schools seek out and encourage applicants from every social and economic stratum. Diversity rules. Not everybody who attends private school is rich.

That point is especially important in 2026. The independent school sector now tracks admissions, enrollment, tuition, financial aid, and operating data closely through the National Association of Independent Schools,

Private schools have terms and a language all their own. Similar to most affinity groups, this jargon is second nature to the insiders. Some of the terms which you will encounter have been passed down through the centuries. They come to us from England and other European countries where private or public schools, as they call them, have been around for centuries. That's why you will see words on this list which you will recognize with meanings that you weren't expecting.

Here are some of the more common terms you are likely to encounter as you explore private schools.

ADD/ADHD

ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is what ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) used to be called.

Here's what WebMed has to say: "ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a condition with symptoms such as inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. The symptoms differ from person to person. ADHD was formerly called ADD, or attention deficit disorder. Both children and adults can have ADHD, but the symptoms always begin in childhood. Adults with ADHD may have trouble managing time, being organized, setting goals, and holding down a job."

If your child exhibits any signs of ADHD, you should have him evaluated thoroughly and professionally. The syndrome is generally treatable. Several private schools specialize in teaching boys and girls with ADHD.

Crew

Crew is the ancient sport of rowing. Rowing in shells is very popular in many private schools. Crew is offered in the fall and spring. Schools participate in

One of the most compelling arguments for private education has to do with the curriculum. Because very few private schools accept public funds, they are not required to comply with federal and state rules and regulations regarding what is taught. In other words, they do not have to teach to the test. George Bush's No Child Left Behind does not apply to private schools.

Private schools use a variety of curricula according to their mission and needs. For example, a Jewish day school will blend Judaic studies with a core curriculum designed to accomplish two things: to raise observant Jews who are well-schooled in their religion as well as producing well-prepared matriculants ready for the rigors of a college education.

A Classical Christian education will emphasize traditional subjects such as rhetoric. It will also infuse every aspect of its teaching with evangelistic fire and purpose. Religion in a Classical Christian school is not an option any more than it is in a Muslim or Jewish or Roman Catholic school. All these schools can take valuable teaching time to accomplish their missionary objectives because they take no state funds. They basically can march to their own pedagogical tune as long as their clientele is satisfied that the school is doing a good job.

This video offers an overview of Rochelle Zell Jewish High School.

What about prep schools?

Religion for most prep

There are a lot of misconceptions about private schools.

This is probably because private schools are indeed private, and often reluctant to release information to the general public.

• Unfortunately, this has more to do with the reality that many journalists don't understand private schools.
• On a couple of occasions when I have been interviewed about private schools, the interviewers asked very pointed questions designed to support their preconceived notions that private schools were only for rich kids or kids with issues.
• They were always surprised when I refuted those kinds of leading questions with facts.

With that experience in mind, here are some common myths, together with the reasons why they are simply that: myths.

Myth #10: Private school teachers make less than public school teachers

Not true. This might have been the case years ago.

• Private school teachers are not unionized.
• They do enjoy some perks that public school teachers do not have, such as housing, meals, and reduced or free tuition for their children.
• Compensation is about the same in both sectors.
• The real disparity seems to occur within private schools themselves.
• Most parochial or religious schools tend to offer compensation that is on the low end of the scale.
• Administrators are not unionized either.
• Deans, admissions directors, development directors, business officers, and heads of school are generally paid competitively.
• You can research the facts by examining not-for-profit schools' Form 990, which has to be filed annually.

Myth

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Many famous people have attended private schools. Here is a sampling of schools and the famous folk who graced their hallowed halls.

Schools and Notable Alumni

• Ashley Hall, Charleston, SC : Alexandra Ripley, Barbara Bush, Madeleine L'Engle
• Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN : Arthur Golden
• The Brooks School, North Andover, MA : Steve Forbes
• Canisius High School, Buffalo, NY : Tim Russert
• Cardinal Hayes High School, New York, NY : George Carlin
• Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT : Glenn Close, Ivanka Trump, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jodie Foster, John Dos Passos, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Michael Douglas
• Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, MA : Bette Davis
• The Dwight School, New York, NY : Paris Hilton
• Emma Willard School, Troy, NY : Jane Fonda
• Episcopal High School, Alexandria, VA : John McCain
• Eton College, Berkshire, England : Prince Harry, Prince William
• The Fieldston School, New York, NY : Andrew Litton
• Harding Academy, Nashville, TN : Reese Witherspoon
• Harvard-Westlake School, Los Angeles, CA : Tori Spelling
• The Hill School, Pottstown, PA : Oliver Stone
• The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT : Archibald MacLeish
• Horace Mann School, New York, NY : Eliot Spitzer
• Kent Denver School, Englewood, CO : Madeline Albright
• Kent School, Kent, CT : Ted Danson
• Lakeside School, Seattle, WA : Bill Gates
• The Madeira School, Mclean, VA : Stockard Channing
• McCallie School, Chatanooga, TN : Ted Turner
• Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA : James Stewart
• Milton Academy, Milton, MA : Edward Kennedy
• Miss Porter's School, Farmington, CT : Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
• Northfield