As a parent, you make a myriad of decisions each and every day that have a major impact upon your child and their growth and development. One of the biggest decisions that you will make is where to send your child to school, especially high school. If your child is in middle school and the deadline to make a decision about their high school selection is swiftly approaching, you may find yourself faced with the decision of whether to send your child to a public or private high school. Get to know some of the reasons that your child may benefit from transitioning to a private school for high school so that you can better make the decision that is right for you and your child.

You Don't Like Your Child's Friends

One of the reasons you may want to remove your child from public school when they transition to high school is if you do not like your child's peer group or group of friends that they fell in with during middle school. Sometimes, children do not make the best choice in friends and could get into a group that takes them in the wrong direction (skipping school, getting into trouble, etc.).

If you want to give your child the opportunity to meet new friends and find another peer group, then you may want to have them go to a private school rather than continuing on to the same public high school as their peer group. This also helps you to avoid the confrontation with your child about their friends that could push them closer to that group of people you do not like.

Your Child Has Specialized Academic Interests

Private high schools often have more opportunities for students who have specialized academic interests and goals in mind for high school and beyond. For example, international baccalaureate (IB) programs that specialize in the intensive study of foreign languages are often offered in private school settings. These programs allow a student to become fluent in a language prior to college and can help with anyone who wants to work in international business, travel and study abroad, or even go into medicine, law, or even human rights and relief work.

There are a wide variety of specialized academic programs offered through private high schools that may not be available in public school education. Explore the available programs and classes at private schools in your area and talk to your child about their goals and interests so that you can find the right school for your child, such as International School of MN.

With these factors in mind, you can better make the decision between public and private high school for your child and make sure that they are in the school that is best suited to their needs.