10 Perks of Sending Your Kids to Public School

Neighborhood schools tend to have the same kids every year, meaning that there's a greater opportunity for your kid to grow up and make lifelong friends. Since private and charter schools often pull from all over the area, it's less likely that children will grow up together.

Neighborhood schools in particular provide children a chance to be part of their larger community. Fundraisers, games, plays, and other activities allow kids to get to know their neighbors and local businesses.

There are millions of students that graduate from public schools every year that go on to lead successful lives. At the end of their time in school, public school children will have a superb education that prepares them for the real world.

It's a myth that children will receive a better education at a private or charter school. When studies control for the socioeconomic background of students, publicly educated students fair the same, or better, than private school children.

The national average for private school tuition is over $10,000, and that's nothing to sneeze at. That money could be put into a savings account for college, go towards a mortgage, or help with student-loan debt. Public schools, the payment for which is already built into our taxes, are essentially free.

For most public schools out there, children don't have to buy and maintain expensive uniforms. While gendered dress codes are still prevalent across the country, at least they don't have to wear uniforms. This lets kids express themselves in a fun way every day.

Thanks to unions, to be a teacher at a public school in this country, you need at least a 4-year degree and a teaching credential, and over half of teachers have an advanced degree. Private schools have considerably fewer teachers with that kind of education and training. Students taught by teachers with advanced degrees have also been shown to do better on standardized tests and in math.

Public school have to have supports in place for children with special needs, whereas private schools don't. Even though there are some excellent private and charter schools that exclusively cater to particular special needs (like deafness or autism), public schools really do a fantastic job of meeting the needs of it's most unique students.

While not always true (since many public school boundaries are set by home location and that can be fairly segregated), public schools by and large are more diverse than private schools. Having kids in a class with students who look and believe differently from them has a world of benefits. Students work better in a diverse environment, are more compassionate to others, and they feel safer. Additionally, minority students do better in school in all areas when they have a teaching staff that looks like them.

Bouncing from one charter school to the next could be detrimental to your child's education. Since most students in public schools are teaching similar curriculum, it's easier to navigate the school system. Graduating from a public school will prepare them for college and the work force.