How Do You Evaluate Private Schools?

I work in a private school. We are members of the National Association of Independent Schools. (NAIS) You could go to their website, http://www.nais.org/. OR - if you are looking for specifically Catholic schools or specifically Episcopal Schools, Google "catholic schools, city, state" (you didn't say where you were moving, which might help if we knew that).

Private schools are usually members and/or accredited by different organizations. If there is one in your current area that you like, go on their website and see what organizations they are members of and search THOSE websites. Logic would dictate that they would do some comparing of test scores, attrition, college acceptances, etc.

Good luck!

We ended up asking parents who have kids in school. We asked what they had heard about various schools and heard plenty of stories. We specifically asked what they knew about our two choices. Four different parents said "Don't go to x. My friend had to take their kids about because they were academically low, not advanced."

Ideally you could go find parents at the school as well. We asked around for names of parents still there and were able to phone a few. We always said "I got your name and number from x because I am thinking of enrolling in the school." Several schools have an open house so you can go talk to parents and some have parents you can talk to, though somebody like me would never be picked because I would tell you both sides.

I don't have an answer but want to see others' responses, because we're in the same boat. Public schools have all sorts of ratings available, because the information is public, but I don't think private schools release theirs. :(

In my area the private schools have open house. You can go and meet the teachers, see the classrooms, and ask questions. The school will have an admission process. This may include your child spending a day or part of the day at the school. Some schools test you child to see if they fit in academically. One of the most important thing is about how you and your child feel about the school. Trust your instincts if all things are relatively equal. Talking to other parents is a great idea. But remember that what you want in a school and what someone else wants can be very different. So you can find one parent who loves a school and another one who
doesn't. No school is perfect. Catholic schools who are part of a parish, takes students from that parish first. I hate say it, but you may need to play the "catholic" game. This means register as a member of the church, have your kids baptized, and go to church and leave your envelop with the donation so they know you attended church. (I have heard of some Catholic churches having you sign in). Unfortunately in California, I think almost all the catholic schools are better than the public schools. California is ranked 47 or 48th in the country. Very sad - when I went we were in the top. Good luck!

This link is a good place to start.

http://www.privateschoolreview.com/

I just remembered that we got great information by talking to a pediatrician who we happened to know was Catholic. He gave us excellent advice.

Try greatschools.com

We are in a similiar boat. We have great public schools but are debating about whether to send our children to private Catholic elementray or the public school.