How to Choose the Best School for Your Child

choosing the "best school"

Choosing the “best school.” It’s something we’ve all heard. And probably have thought about for our own children in one way or another. In this guide, we’ll explore new ways of thinking about this elusive “best school” and review a list of things to consider when weighing your schooling options.

so what Is the best school?!

When people ask some version of, “what is the best school?” there is no simple way to answer this. This is because we all have different values and priorities that we want out of a school. Perhaps you care a lot about the academic rigor of a school setting; you want to see your child be appropriately challenged and to demonstrate significant academic growth each year. Perhaps your best friend cares a lot about the school providing a well-rounded, holistic education including significant time spent in special classes such as art, music, or other electives. Or maybe your neighbor cares about being a part of the community and having the school represent the diversity of the city so their child is exposed to many types of people.

When you consider this, you can see why the “best school” for you will be different from the best school for your friend or your neighbor. It’s important for us to begin shifting away from the lens of “one best school”, to a more comprehensive, holistic lens of “best fit.” In this way, we can celebrate different schools for their different strengths. So in order to answer this question of “best fit”, we first have to understand your values and priorities.

Below are some ideas for you to consider to help you narrow down your own priorities in a school. You should spend some time thinking about how much you care about these individual areas. If you had to rank these areas in terms of importance to you, how would you rank them?

questions to ask yourself

Academic Learning

Test score growth (this is different from raw test scores. To learn why raw test score are problematic in evaluating a school, check out this post)
Graduation rates
Does the school have a focus on problem solving or critical thinking skills?
What percentage of students are deemed college and career ready?
College acceptance rates
Level of academic challenge/rigor
Private schools: Are they accredited?
Homework policy: Does it match your expectations for how much homework your child should do?
Types and frequency of feedback given to students: quizzes and tests, projects, portfolios, formative assessments, narrative assessments, student self-assessments, etc.

School Culture

Philosophy and values: do the school’s educational philosophies align with your own beliefs and priorities?
Are students physically safe? What policies exist? What is the vibe?
Are students emotionally safe? Again: What policies exist? What is the vibe?
What are the student/teacher relationships like?
Is there an appreciation for diversity?
What is the diversity of the teaching staff?
Is there a focus on growth mindset and perseverance?
How much outside time do students get? What is the outside environment like?

Teachers

What % of teachers have certain qualifications? Higher level degrees? Certification?
What support and professional development exists for teachers?
Administration- are they respected and effective leaders?
Teacher and administrator tenure

Resources

How is the physical space? Consider classroom space, libraries, labs, recreation areas, etc.
Average class sizes?
What level of support is provided to students with learning differences (504, IEP, etc.)?
Does the school have enough specialists and support staff? Consider school counselors, services for English Language Learners, social workers, etc.
What extracurricular activities are provided?
Is the curriculum proven and varied?
Does the school value creative and performing arts?
What care is given to the physical and social/emotional health of the children?

Community

Location and commute: How accessible is the school from your home/work?
What is the nature of family-school relationships?
How involved is the PTA? How many parents are regularly involved in the school?
How involved do I want to be?
What is the school’s reputation in the community?

Cost (for independent schools)

Tuition and fees: Does the school’s tuition align with your budget and financial situation?
What scholarships and financial aid are offered?
Does the school accept choice vouchers or state-run scholarships?

your "best fit" school

It can be overwhelming to read through this list. Perhaps you read an item and thought, “I didn’t know I should care about that!” We must remember that every school cannot be everything for every one. Just as with our children and ourselves, we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. We cannot have it all (even though I know we want it!) and so it’s important to spend time thinking about these different aspects of a school to identify the most important things for you and your child. The beauty of this approach is that my list of “best fit schools” is going to be different from your list of “best fit schools” and that is OK! We have different children and different priorities and that makes our community diverse and wonderful.

What other things are important to you? Leave us a comment!