Private high schools have been around for centuries, and they are often seen as a fast track to elite universities. With the highly competitive college admissions process and the pressure to attend the “right school”, many parents opt for private schools for their children. Private schools offer smaller class sizes, more individualized teaching, and greater curricular flexibility. Niche recently released rankings of the best schools in the United States, including categories for boarding, charter, and boarding schools, as well as STEM and arts schools.
Private school advocates often point to standardized test scores to support their claims that private schools are a better option than public schools. However, research has shown that student success is more closely related to family attributes such as having parents who graduated from college, and that higher incomes are more common among private school students than public school students. Virginia is home to several of the best high schools in the country according to Niche's rankings. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, North Carolina was named the best public school.
Currently, about 4.7 million students or 10% of students enrolled from kindergarten to twelfth grade are enrolled in private schools. The Governor of Northern Virginia's School of Science and Technology admits students from Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Prince William, and the cities of Falls Church and Fairfax. Private schools are widely promoted as a better option compared to public schools, and they offer unique advantages and opportunities that can help students succeed in college admissions.
