Student Life: Private vs. Public Schools

While public and private schools are clearly distinguishable from their price points, the precise differences in experience are sometimes difficult to pinpoint. Do students from both kinds of schools get the same opportunities? What are the pros and cons of attending public and private schools? Are private schools really “better”? 

“Public and private schools don’t provide the same opportunities,” said a sophomore who is currently attending a public school, Dublin High.  

As a common perception of private schools is that they are likely to be supported by high-income families, it is also common for public school students to perceive a disparity that they view as unjust.  However, some private school students refute the idea that private school opens more doors. 

“Yeah, we might have more interesting courses than public schools,” a junior at Athenian said. “But at the end of the day, colleges don’t compare us to them. So it doesn’t really matter.” 

These opposing viewpoints highlight an important distinction: some students only care about college admissions. Other students care about equal education. 

“Honestly, I don’t really care if there are pros or cons for both public and private schools,” said the same Athenian junior. As long as I get good grades in school and go to a good college, then my life is going to be fine.” 

A junior at Dougherty Valley cited social differences as another consideration. “I went to a public school because I wanted to go to a bigger high school with more people, which means more people to meet, and so you can experience more stuff,” they said. A sophomore from people, which means more people to meet, and so you can experience more stuff,” they said. A sophomore from Dublin High School agreed. “I would prefer going to a public school because they have better social networks, more freedom, individual thought, and less competition for colleges.”  

However, this is not always the case. Some private schools might have done a great job at balancing both maintaining a good social life and education for students. “I prefer private schools because they have smaller class sizes, so more attention on you, so better learning experience. Also, definitely more resources because we all pay. And the curriculum is much more flexible because we are not restricted by the government,” said a senior who’s studying at Bentley High School.

From the interviews, it is apparent that most of the public schoolers think that attending public schools can have a better social life, while the private schoolers think that attending private schools can have a better education.