2025-2026 Guide to Choosing the Best Private School for Your Child
As parents, we want the best for our kids. But sometimes the options can be overwhelming. Add in the growing competition for private school admissions, and preparing for next school year becomes a recipe for stress.
When it comes to choosing private schools, the key is to balance the best school with the school that’s right for your child. This article offers a clear, step-by-step guide to evaluating private school options based on academics, culture, your family values, and critical decision-making factors.
1. Determine your family’s priorities, and your child’s strengths and interests.
Before you begin your search, you need to get clear on what’s important to you. Do you want a school with a religious aspect? Does your child excel in smaller group settings? Are they interested in a particular sport or extracurricular activity? Do you have a budget you’re hoping to stick to? Decide what’s important to you in advance. Create a checklist you can have handy as you start browsing schools. This will give your search a direction and help you easily pick out the best options.
2. Identify the school’s philosophy.
The Mission Statement on the school website is a great place to start to get an idea of educational values. What’s most important to each individual school can vary. It could be: diversity, critical thinking, academic excellence, STEM, social-emotional learning, religion, or something else. You can find school highlights in their About, Overview, or Mission Statement section. Starting here allows you to quickly to determine whether the school’s values align with your family’s.
3. Evaluate the academic curriculum.
Private school curricula will vary in rigor and style. Rather than being confined to public education components like Common Core, private schools design and customize their own curriculum. This makes private schools a great option for families who desire academics focused on religion, excellence, STEM, art, college readiness, or nature. Decide if the school curriculum aligns with your child’s strengths and interests.
4. Consider the community and culture.
The environment can be a determing factor in your student’s success and contentment, given the amount of time children spend at school. The length of the average school day is 6.7 hours. That means your child will spend about 35 hours per week at school. Make sure the school’s community and culture create an environment where your child will thrive.
5. Find the school’s location and transportation options.
One downside to private schools is they often don’t provide student transportation. This may mean you need to look at schools closest to home. Find a school that’s a reasonable distance based on your schedule and level of flexibility. Depending on where you live, you may even consider allowing your child to walk to school, use public transportation, or hiring a private car service. Decide what distance is comfortable and what transportation options are available.
6. Check the tuition and fees.
Unlike public school, a private education can cost a pretty penny. Your family’s financial investment may include: registration or application fees, tuition, materials fees, uniforms, extracurriculars, and/or extended care. Be sure to ask what financial assistance programs are available. There may be payment plans or financial aid that could alleviate some of the burden and make a dream school possible, even if it’s slightly over budget.
7. Compare class sizes.
Although many families think smaller is better when it comes to class sizes, private schools with larger class sizes may have higher overall enrollment numbers and the ability to offer more robust services - like athletics, arts, science labs, or technologies. Private schools with smaller class sizes can provide more individualized attention. It’s up to you to decide which environment your student will learn better in and the kind of support they need.
8. Look at athletics and extracurriculars.
Help your child explore their interests by choosing a school with extracurriculars they might enjoy. This will allow your child to integrate into the school community, make friends, build skills, and have fun. Whether it’s sports, art, or STEM, find a school that provides mental, physical, or social enrichment options your child will appreciate.
9. Visit campus.
Most private schools hold open houses where interested parents can visit and learn more about the school. Visiting campus is an essential part of the process. It gives you a true feel of the school’s environment and quality of the facilities. Make a shortlist of your top favorite schools, find out when open houses are held, and add them to your calendar. Bring a pad and pen, or a list of questions, with you to take notes that will help you make a decision.
10. Prepare for admissions.
Write down key deadlines for each of your top private schools. This may include early application dates, enrollment deadlines, or financial deposit requirements. For each school, gather all of the necessary application paperwork, recommendation letters, or essays required. It may help to create a paper or digital folder for each school so you can stay organized. Be prepared to start the process 9-12 months in advance, as private school admission is often competetive and begins early.
BONUS: Get expert help to simplify the process.
Choosing the right private school can feel like a full-time job. The research alone can take weeks or months. Between admissions timelines, campus tours, application requirements, and interviews, the process is both time-consuming and detail-heavy. Busy families often outsource groceries, meal prep, child care, and house cleaning, so why not oursource this?
An experienced concierge or consultant can help you:
Get clear on your priorities.
Vet schools on your behalf.
Coordinate tours and interviews.
Provide insight into your options.
Streamline the process from start to finish.
At The Parent Concierge, we help families with high expectations choose the best private schools for their children. If you want a personalized, thoroughly vetted approach to private school selection, partner with an expert today.
Conclusion: Choosing the Best Private Schools for Your Child
Choosing a private education is a meaningful investment in your child’s future. It’s also a big decision to make and can be overwhelming.
The school you choose should reflect your family’s priorities as well as your child’s needs and preferences. By understanding what to look for using the tips above, you can approach the search confidently. Use this guide to get clear on what you want and narrow down your options.
Remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Whether you need help identifying schools or you want to streamline the entire process, The Parent Concierge can help.
How to Find the Best Private School FAQs
What’s the difference between public and private schools?
Public schools are funded by the government and free to attend. They are accessible to district residents and subject to the IDEA act and state curricula. Private schools are tuition-based and set their own class sizes, curricula, philosophy, and more.
Do kids that go to private school do better in life?
NAEP data shows private school students typically score higher in every subject area. Whether the students “do better in life” requires multifaceted and complex insight and cannot be answered based on whether the student attended public school versus private school alone.
What are the pros and cons of private school?
Private has many benefits, like smaller class sizes, a speciailized curriculum, focused extracurriculars, higher academic standards, and more parent involvement. The downside to private schools are the tuition cost, lack of transportation, social or academic pressure, and limited special education support and student resources.
How do I find the best private school for my child?
Finding the best private school starts with defining your family’s priorities and your child’s strenghts and interests. From there, research schools online and evaluate them based on their philosophy, curriculum, culture, location, tuition, class sizes, and extracurriculars. Then, schedule campus tours so you can observe classrooms, speak with teachers, and get a sense of the school environment. Narrow down your list and compare the options side by side to determine which environment will allow your child to thrive.
Many busy parents partner with a trusted expert to outsource where they can. The Parent Concierge can handle the research, assessment, and scheduling, ensuring your family receives hand-picked recommendations that reflect your values, goals, and lifestyle.
