Choosing the best school is all about finding the private school which is the best fit. Each school is unique. That makes comparisons between schools difficult, almost impossible to do. For example, the athletic program at one school may be better than the program at another school which has the kind of teaching style you want for your child. Another school may be a progressive school with exciting courses but no Advanced Placement courses. Let's explore this line of thinking a bit further.
In this age of comparison shopping many parents assume that the same rules apply to selecting a private school. Unfortunately they don't and for very good reasons. You can't pull up 8th grade on PriceGrabber and see which school offers it for the lowest price. Each private school is unique. It is not easily compared with other private schools. Its facilities, its teaching staff and its atmosphere are unique to that particular school.
When parents ask me which is the best school in New York or Seattle, I always have to reply with a kind of non-committal answer of "It depends. What are you looking for in a school?" Once they specify their requirements, choosing the best school for their child becomes a whole lot easier.
Defining the Best Fit
Let's define fit as how a school measures up to your requirements and expectations. You can get a fairly good idea of what schools offer by examining their websites in detail. Most schools try to answer your questions on their websites. The problem with looking at websites is that you see only what they want you to see. How do you find out the real story? You can ask questions. Better yet, hire an educational consultant whose business it is to know those facts.
Fit is something which you and your child have to agree on yourselves. What are you both really looking for? Have that discussion with your child. Understand what you both want. Then you will be half way to choosing the best school for both of you.
The next thing you have to do is to visit the school. Even better, attend a class or two or have your child spend an overnight if it is a boarding school. You'll get plenty of answers fast. How your child reacts to the student guides and the admissions interview will signal what kind of a fit the school will be.
Your Child's Happiness
Choosing the best school is all about finding that one special school where your child will be happy. Of course you want her to have the opportunity of getting into a good university. But the truth is that she won't get into any university unless she succeeds in high school. And she won't succeed in high school unless she is happy.
What could be more subjective than your child's happiness? It has nothing to do with test scores and all those other unquantifiable benchmarks. Your child's happiness has everything to do with getting the fit right. That's what choosing the best school is all about.
