Public schools

Public schools get their financing from local, state, and federal government
funds. In most cases, they must admit all students who live within the borders of
their district. Charter schools and magnet schools are two relatively new kinds of
public schools.
Charter schools began appearing in the early 1990s. They are independently
operated public schools started by parents, teachers, community organizations,
and for-profit companies. These schools receive tax dollars, but the sponsoring
group may also come up with private funding. Charter schools do not charge
tuition.
These schools must adhere to the basic curricular requirements of the state but
are free from many of the regulations that apply to conventional schools. They
are not subject to the scrutiny of school boards or government authorities.
Considered cutting edge, charter schools usually challenge standard education
practices and sometimes specialize in a particular area, such as technology or
the arts, or adopt a basic core-subjects approach. Some charter schools
specifically target gifted or high-risk kids. They usually have smaller classes and
offer more individual attention than conventional public schools.
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Public school choice programs free families from having to attend their
assigned neighborhood school. Some districts voluntarily offer school choice.
Others are required to provide parents with options when a school is failing to
meet the standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Private schools
Private schools rely on tuition payments and funds from nonpublic sources such
as religious organizations, endowments, grants, and charitable donations.
These schools select from a pool of students who apply for admission. They may
be coed or single sex. About a third of the elementary and secondary schools in
the United States are private.
Independent schools are private, nonprofit schools governed by boards of
trustees. This category includes such famous private schools as Andover and
Exeter.
Independent schools draw their funds from tuition payments, charitable
contributions, and endowments rather than from taxes or church funds. They
may be affiliated with a religious institution but cannot receive funds or
governance from them.
Of the 34,000 private schools in the United States, only about 2,000 are
independent. Nearly three-fourths of those are members of the National
Association of Independent Schools, which means they have been accredited by
a recognized state or regional body and have agreed to practice
nondiscriminatory policies.
Many accept boarding students as well as day students. The median tuition for
day schools is $17,880, meaning half are less expensive and half cost more. For
boarding schools, the median tuition is $34,900.
Parochial schools are church-related schools, most commonly owned and
operated by Catholic parishes or dioceses but also by Protestant denominations.
Hebrew schools may also be termed parochial.
The majority of private schools in the United States are parochial schools. The
academic curriculum at these schools is supplemented with required daily
religious instruction and prayer. Teachers may be clergy or laypersons who may
or may not be trained educators.
Your child doesn't have to be Catholic or Protestant to attend a parochial school,
but she will still be required to attend religious education classes and prayer
services.
Parochial schools cost, on average, $6,733 per year for an elementary school
student and $10,549 for a high school student.
Proprietary schools are private schools run for profit. This is a relatively new
category of school. They do not answer to any board of trustees or elected
officials, so they claim to be able to respond quickly to the demands of the
market.
Many belong to an organization called the National Independent Private Schools
Association. Tuition is comparable to that of private, nonprofit schools.