As parents, we make big, life-shaping decisions for our kids. And when it comes to decisions of this magnitude, choosing an elementary school is right at the top. After all, from preschool to grade 8, children are learning the essential building blocks for success later in life. Finding a school that will lay a solid foundation now can head off heartache later.
Like most big decisions, finding the right school for your child involves a little research. Visit open houses or schedule a personal tour to get a sense of the school and how it feels to you and your family. Most of all, ask questions. Here’s my three “must ask” questions — use them as a starting point to create a list of your own!
1.What is the mission and/or philosophy of this school?
It all starts here. The best partnerships between parents and educators are built on a shared understanding of what the school is trying to accomplish. For instance, the school I send my children to puts an emphasis on helping students “share their God-given gifts and talents by being educated, informed, contributing members of the twenty-first century.” Check the school’s website- is their mission and/or philosophy listed? If not, ask!
2. What makes this school special or different from others?
Every school has its own unique character. You can sense it the moment you walk in the door. It might be an atmosphere of welcoming that you become aware of first. Or it could be a sense of energy and liveliness. Maybe it’s clear from the decor and school features that there’s a special focus on science, technology, the arts, or religion (if it is a faith-based school). Ask teachers, students, parents and administrators what they think is special. You’ll get a good sense of the personality of the school and what you can expect if you send your children there.
3. Does the school meet the basic needs of my family/situation?
If you love the answers to #1 and #2, you need to take into consideration basic things like what time school starts, does it offer before and after school care, how far it is from your home, is there a hot lunch program, and so on. For some families, how these questions are answered could be the difference between a perfect fit and a near miss. It won’t matter how much you love a school if it doesn’t fit into the rhythm of your daily life.
While these are only three questions to get you started, there are so many more things to ask when choosing a school for your child. Jot them down, start visiting your top choices and find that perfect school to call “home”!
Thinking about a Catholic School? Catholic Schools Week begins this Sunday, January 29 and runs through February 5. If you’re in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, please check out Our Lady of the Ridge School – Open Houses and personal tours are available even after these dates!
My mom is a magnet school elementary teacher so I see first hand on a daily basis the importance of education and finding the right school for kids. It’s so important to find a school that clicks with your child and their needs.
My kids go to public school, so there isn’t really a choice for us. Lucky we have awesome schools here in my town and we are very happy!
As a former high school principal, I know the importance of choosing the right school for your child. It pays to do your homework to find the best school for your family.
We got super lucky and landed in a Charter School. One of the best schools in my area. I went to public and would hope never to send my kids there. I know in my area the public schools are horrible.
My girls go to public school, but we have considered switching them to a private school. Most of the private schools around us are military schools.
Where we live there are two options. Either send them to the only school in the district or home school. No options around here.
I wish I could afford catholic school for both my kids. I am currently choosing a middle school with my son. We both sat down and looked at the lists of schools. My son wanted arts and sports and I wanted to know the security of that school. We agreed on a place and are now waiting to find out which one he gets accepted to.
I just attended a conference that had a lot of different private schools as the course speakers. I cannot believe what some of these K-8 classes cost in tuition, but the curriculums seem to make the decision process very difficult to choose from too.
We live in a very small town (2000 people), so all we have is public school. We’re blessed to have a great public school. We’ve not even thought about driving to a bigger city for public school.
This is very good advice. I homeschooled my kids, but my son did go to public school during high school.
My parents gave us the chance to be educated in the best Catholic schools they could afford. I did the same for my children. Every family has their own preference, but I guess the best advice is choosing a school is #3. The school is a child’s home away from home and it should reinforce the values we teach our children.
These are really great pointers. My son just switched school because the first school he went to was picked just because it was closest to our home and at the time I failed to do all the necessary information gathering like you suggest here. I feel terrible that my son didn’t fit in that school. He’s a much happier kid in this new school that I thoroughly researched before.
It’s so important to find the right school for our children. It’s great to ask a lot of questions and get recommendations. These are great tips.
That last question is a great one. Too many schools these days truly don’t have the heart for children as much as they do the funding they can get from the children. Making sure that school meets the needs of your family and their goal makes a huge difference!
This is definitely important. We don’t have a choice here because our kiddos are in public school but luckily I was able to change my son’s preschool when we were having some issues.
There are so many things to take into consideration when choosing the suitable school for your children. We even moved to a new school district to assure that our daughter would go to a school that would be perfect for her.
Choosing a school is so important! These tips are so helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this very informative post, it is really worth sharing and helpful especially to those who will soon send their children to school.
I really like what you said about each school having it’s own unique character. I imagine that choosing a school with a character you like would be really important to many parents. I am sure that talking with other parents in your area would be one of the best ways to check this out.