Does the Economy Make Private Education More Appealing?

I came across a blog post today about public schools versus private schools. And while the post is two years old, I think that the topic of “Are Private Schools Worth the Money They Demand?” is more relevant than ever.

The original post, which appeared on Wisebread.com (a blog about living large on a small budget), raised the following four points on why a family would choose private schools over public schools:

1. Private schools give families the choice to live where they want.
2. Families have a choice in the educational curriculum.
3. Students get more individual attention with smaller class sizes.
4. Equipment and resources are more abundantly available.

All of these are great reasons to choose a private education for your child. But then I wondered how relevant the argument is given our current state of the economy. So, I made the following comment:

I realize I’m a johnny-come-two-years-late to this discussion, but I think the points raised are even more relevant today than they were two years ago. Interestingly enough, our current economic downturn has made private schools an attractive option for a lot of families. State budget-tightening means that public schools are cutting back even more on what they offer. Too often this results in an increase in class size and reduction of classes, subjects and services. Many parents – who previously may have never even considered private education – are investigating whether private schools could work for their families because they are not willing to compromise their child’s education and future.

Of course, the economic downturn has also meant that affording a private school education is not as easy as it once was for many families. Some are looking for increased financial aid (which many schools have beefed up in response to the economy), tuition assistance from grandparents, and/or cutting back on other areas of their household budget to be able to keep their children in private schools.

So what do you think? Does the economic downturn and the crisis in our public schools make private schools a more appealing option for families?

Photo credit: Susan Sermoneta