Picking a college for your child to attend can be hard. Looking for the best Christian school to send him to can be even harder. Religious based private schools can vary greatly, and you don’t want to send your child to one that’s not a perfect fit, so what questions should you ask when looking for the best school?
What denomination is your school?
It’s usually easy to tell whether or not a school is Christian and whether it’s Catholic or Protestant, but the actual denomination of a school matters, too. Many schools advertise that they are Christian, but different denominations believe different things. You want to make sure you send your child to a school that believes what you want your children to learn.
What do you teach?
Most public schools teach with very similar curricula, but private schools don’t have to. One thing in particular to look at is the school’s science program. Depending on what denomination the school is affiliated with, they could teach anything from creationism to evolution. It’s important for schools to teach children both religious and academic material that parents want their children to learn.
What kind of support do you offer students?
Because Christian schools are often smaller than other schools, some of them are limited in what services they can offer your child. If you have an accelerated learner, make sure that the school can accommodate him by letting him skip a grade or by offering him extra material. Though many parents are against letting their child skip a grade because of social reasons, small private schools often have more than one grade in a classroom. If this is the case, your child could keep all his old classmates while still getting challenging material. If you have a child who has trouble keeping up, make sure teachers can accommodate him, too.
What kinds of extracurricular activities do you have?
The best way for a child to be involved with his school is through extracurricular activities. Make sure the school offers a wide range of activities so your child can have a broad education. Also, make sure the school emphasizes what’s important to you. If you want your child to learn a sport because you want him to get a college scholarship or have a chance at playing professionally, make sure the school takes sports seriously. If you just want your child to have fun and learn the rules of the game, don’t pick a school that makes kids practice six days a week to be on the team.
Whatever college you pick for your child, you want it to be a good fit. Make sure they teach things that align with your beliefs, will be able to accommodate your child if he is advanced or needs extra help, and offer a wide range of extracurricular activities that fit your ideals. What’s good for one family might be horrible for another. As long as you make sure to research schools carefully and ask the right kinds of questions, you should be able to find a perfect school for your child.
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