School Safety and Security

One of the reasons we parents send out children to private school is discipline. We have grown concerned about our children being in large classes where the teachers spend much of their teaching time dealing with discipline issues. That's not the education environment we want for our children. We want them to go to school to learn in a safe, supportive environment where they can learn..

As you investigate private schools at any level, review how the schools handle discipline. Because each private school is a stand-alone entity, how it approaches the matter of discipline will vary from school to school. Be ready for that. How a school handles discipline is one of many factors which will influence your choice of schools.

What is a code of conduct?

Discipline in private schools generally begins with a code of conduct. A code of conduct is a document which has been produced by the school administration and approved by the board of trustees or other governing body. The code of conduct is generally read and signed by parents and students at the time of admission to the school. It becomes part of the contract between student, parents and the school which governs your attendance at the school. Since you have already agreed to the school's code of conduct beforehand, when you commit an infraction of the code, you will be disciplined accordingly.

It will

If you had to choose when to send your child to private school, would you send her to private school for the primary grades or high school? It's a tough call. The expense alone is a significant consideration for many parents. Another consideration is the market where you live. Do you have several private school options to choose from? Using the search tool on Private School Review, I asked it to list schools within 25 miles of my zip code in Raleigh. There were 119 schools to choose from. Not all would meet my requirements, but at least I had some material to work with. Investigate your local private school options and see how those schools meet your requirements.

Could you send your child to primary school through 12th grade in the same school? Or would you have to consider individual schools for the immediate, middle, and high school grades? Would it make sense to send your child to public school for primary grades and then consider private school for high school?

Frankly, I always feel that the high school years are where things can go off the rails. I wanted my children in a well-disciplined, severe learning environment. That's what I got when I sent my two daughters to boarding school. They both attended private pre-schools. One attended a private primary school, and the other went to an excellent, tiny K-6 elementary school, which happened to be right across the street from our home in our northwest