How can you determine the overall cost of the best private school for your children? Look over all the costs because tuition is not the ultimate price.
The cost of a school does not necessarily determine the quality of a school. In fact, they’re often not related at all. Therefore, you shouldn’t only look at the school reviews and test scores. It’s equally important to look into the breakdown of tuition fees and the hidden costs as well. Keep reading to discover some tips to stretch your dollar the furthest.
College Prep
All school counselors are not created equal. Some counselors focus on mental health and emotional support, while others specialize in college preparation. A good school should have both, and having a specialized team of people who will walk your child through each step of the college application process can be priceless. Additional services the school may offer can range from essay and SAT support to providing courses for college credit. All of these services combined can be invaluable, especially when counselors also have relationships with prestigious universities.
Private School Uniforms
The cost of school uniforms can be surprisingly expensive. Often there is only one provider that has a monopoly on the market. This leads to overinflated prices, but not better quality. However, because many children outgrow their uniforms quickly, families often resell, donate, or trade their old uniforms with other families.
Food
It’s important to know which meals are included at your child’s school. Some schools offer breakfast, some serve snacks, and almost all offer lunch. All or none of these meals could be included, and If you have a teenager, you know how quickly these costs can add up. Furthermore, you should tour the school during mealtime to see the quality of the food. Many schools have moved beyond the days of slop on a plate and ketchup for a vegetable. Some schools even have sushi and coffee bars. Whatever the menu, be sure it’s nutritious, balanced, and of good quality. If the school is cutting costs, the cafeteria is a place where it may be obvious.
Extracurriculars
Inquire if there are additional fees for school sports and clubs. Families may be expected to pay for sports uniforms, instruments, or hundreds of dollars in equipment. In fact, according to Maggie Davis, a staff writer for Lending Tree, “parents with kids in extracurriculars spend a yearly average of $731 per child on activities.” Therefore, it pays to find out upfront what’s included in the activities your child enjoys.
Some parents believe these costs will lead to a future career for their child. However unlikely, it’s worth investigating if the school you’re evaluating has any connections or ties to a field that your child is serious about. Consider actors, athletes, writers, journalists, artists, musicians, or even politicians. They may be on the faculty; they may be alumni. The school might have direct connections to certain institutions or organizations. Furthermore, the children of people involved in these organizations need to go to school as well. For example, there’s more than one private school in Brazil filled with the children of professional soccer players. If your child is especially passionate about their extracurriculars, these connections may be priceless.
Supplies
Some private schools provide all the school supplies for their classes, including computers. Others don’t even give the students pencils or books. Either way, the school should be able to let you know the expectations for materials before paying the deposit.
Teacher Salaries
Check the tuition of the school against teachers’ salaries. If the tuition costs more than the average salary, that’s a red flag. It means that the school is not willing to hire and retain the best teachers. Furthermore, lower teacher salaries are often indicative of a devaluation of teachers, which affects morale at the school and leads to high turnover rates. This is a problem because the consistency of the curriculum is compromised. New teachers often make changes, and this can lead to gaps in learning. High turnover also means weaker relationships with students. Who will the high school seniors ask for a recommendation when half of their teachers are new? Obviously, you can’t ask these types of questions during the school tour, but there are several places you can look to quickly get an idea, such as Glassdoor or Indeed. A few private schools have begun to put the expected salary range in the employment section of their website.
For the record, according to the 2023 Review from the National Education Associate (NEA), the average teacher salary in America is $66,745. Of course, this varies by experience and geographic location quite a bit.
Discounts
Some schools offer discounts for households with multiple children. If you have a large family, this could make a big difference. Of course, this needs to be balanced by the overall cost of multiple children in school at the same time, but it’s still a consideration. Additionally, if some children are old enough for college, the overall tuition costs of the younger students may help your college-aged children qualify for financial aid.
Private School Scholarships
Finally, having a robust scholarship program is something that indicates that the school is financially stable. If they can afford to have a third or more students receiving scholarships, they have the money to ride out any short-term economic hardships or trends. Having scholarship students often improves the rigor throughout the entire school as well, since those scholarships are usually very competitive and given based on academic merit. Moreover, schools with strong scholarship programs tend to have a more diverse student body.
As you can see, the cost of school is about much more than just the upfront tuition fees. Pay attention to those hidden expenses and avoid the private school pitfalls that so many others fall into.
