Questions to Ask Private School
Questions for families visiting or applying to a private school, covering the true cost, staffing and turnover, how struggling students are supported, and what happens after graduation.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What kind of student does well here, and what kind struggles?
Why ask it
Asking for both halves is what makes this work. A school that can only describe its ideal student has either not thought about fit or would rather not say.
How large are classes, and how many adults are usually in the room?
Why ask it
A class of 18 with an assistant is different from 18 with one teacher. Published average class size often hides wide variation between grades and subjects.
What does a full year cost once fees, uniforms, trips, technology, and lunch are added?
Why ask it
The added items commonly run to thousands beyond tuition. Ask for last year's total for a family in your child's grade rather than the tuition line alone.
How much has tuition risen in each of the past five years?
Why ask it
You are committing to several years, not one. A pattern of increases well above inflation tells you what to budget for by the time your child reaches the upper grades.
How does financial aid work, and does an award renew automatically each year?
Why ask it
Some awards are recalculated annually and can shrink when circumstances change slightly. Ask what proportion of families receive aid and what the average award covers.
What does the application involve, and what are the deadlines?
Why ask it
Testing, interviews, teacher recommendations, and a shadow day all have separate dates. Ask which pieces carry the most weight, because schools differ substantially on this.
How many families apply for my child's grade, and how many places are there?
Why ask it
The ratio helps you decide how many applications to file. Ask about sibling and legacy priority, since a small number of open places can be smaller than it appears.
Who would my child's teachers be next year, and how long have they been here?
Why ask it
Named teachers with a history at the school suggest stability. If the answer is that hiring is still in progress in the spring, ask how often that happens.
How much turnover has there been among teachers, and in the head of school role?
Why ask it
Private schools depend heavily on a small staff. Three heads in five years usually means a board conflict, and that instability reaches classrooms eventually.
How are reading and mathematics taught in the grades my child is entering?
Why ask it
Ask what program is used and what happens when a child is behind. A school that answers only with a philosophy of learning has not answered the question.
What happens when a student starts falling behind: who notices, and what follows?
Why ask it
You want a named person and a timeline. Small schools often catch problems fast and then have limited resources to address them, so ask about both halves.
What support do you offer for a student with a diagnosis or an existing learning plan, and what do you not do?
Why ask it
Private schools are not bound by the same obligations as public schools. The honest ones will tell you plainly what they cannot provide, and that is the answer you need most.
How much homework should I expect on a weeknight in this grade?
Why ask it
A figure in minutes is checkable in October and reveals whether there is a school-wide policy or twelve different teacher habits.
How do you handle conflict between students, and what did the last case look like?
Why ask it
Ask about a real incident rather than the handbook. Small schools have nowhere to move a child, which makes the response process more consequential than at a large school.
What are the rules on phones and devices during the school day?
Why ask it
Ask what happens on a second violation. Policies that exist without enforcement tell you something about how the school handles other rules too.
Which sports, arts, and clubs actually ran last year, and how many sign-ups does it take to run one?
Why ask it
Published lists include activities that have not run in years. A program that needs twelve students in a grade of thirty may not exist when your child gets there.
How do families hear from teachers, and how quickly are emails answered?
Why ask it
Access is one of the things families are paying for, so ask what the school's own expectation is. "Teachers respond within one school day" is a commitment; "we have an open-door culture" is not.
Where do your graduates go next, and how do they do when they get there?
Why ask it
Ask whether the school hears back from the schools its students go on to. Placement lists show admissions; follow-up tells you about preparation.
How many students leave before graduating, and what reasons do families give?
Why ask it
Attrition is the number private schools discuss least. A school that tracks it and can explain it is being straight with you, and relocations should not account for all of it.
May I sit in on a class and talk with current parents I choose myself?
Why ask it
Every school will offer you its selected ambassadors. The willingness to let you observe an ordinary class and find your own parents to talk to is the real test.
Evaluating a Private School
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
On the visit
Ask for an ordinary day, not an open house
Open houses are staged and useful mainly for gathering paperwork. A weekday visit shows you hallway noise, how adults speak to students, and whether classroom doors are open.
Watch the students rather than the facilities
New buildings are easier to fund than good teaching. Look at whether students talk to each other about the work, how the adults handle a small disruption, and who is left out at break.
Send the number questions in advance
Total cost per family, tuition increase history, staff turnover, and attrition all require someone to look them up. Emailing ahead gets you real figures instead of estimates.
Working out the real cost
- Add tuition, registration and enrollment deposits, books, technology, uniforms, lunch, transport, trips, and required donations. Ask a current family what they actually spent last year.
- Ask when the enrollment contract binds you and what portion of tuition is non-refundable after that date.
- Check whether financial aid is recalculated annually and what would change an award, including a second child enrolling or a salary increase.
- Ask what tuition insurance costs and whether it is optional, since it is frequently bundled without comment.
- Project the cost forward using the school's own increase history. The figure that matters is the one in your child's final year, not the first.
Where families go wrong
Choosing on the college list
Placement lists mostly reflect who the school admits in the first place. Ask instead how the school works with students in the middle of the class, since that describes the typical experience.
Assuming learning support exists
Many private schools have limited or no specialist staff and are not obliged to provide services. Ask what they cannot do, in writing, before you sign anything.
Only speaking to the parents the school chose
Ambassador families are selected for enthusiasm. Find a parent through a sports team, a neighbor, or a local group and ask them what they would change.