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Public and Private Schools: How Do They Compare

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Public and Private Schools: How Do They Compare

Trying to find the right school for children not yet enrolled can be a difficult and tedious process. According to the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2009), during the 2007-08 school year there were an estimated 119,150 kindergarten through grade 12 schools in the United States. This number includes 87,190 traditional public schools and 28,220 private schools. That is a large number of schools for parents to choose from. When choosing a school, parents will look at the options of public and private schooling available to their children. There are both many similarities and many differences between public and private schools. When comparing private and public schools parents should take into account the curriculum offered to students, the environment their children will be in, and the cost of the education provided. Parents who are trying to decide what school to send their children to should compare public and private school systems to determine which one will be best suited for their children.
A curriculum is the courses offered by an educational institution, and both public and private schools have different curricula they adhere to and follow. Both private and public schools generally have an established number of credits required for a student to progress through the school and graduate. Also both have courses which are required such as mathematics, social studies and English. Public schools have generalized programs offered to students, which usually require English, math, reading, writing, science, history and physical education. The programs are also designed and overseen by the state in which the school is located. The individual states provide standardized testing to the schools to measure and evaluate what is learned by their students. Public schools also

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