Private Schools And What You Need To Know About Low Class Sizes
What are the benefits of small class sizes? Private schools often have low student-to-teacher ratios. If your child is ready to begin their first educational experience, take a look at the top reasons to choose a school with smaller-sized classes.
Increased Attention
It's all in the numbers. With less students in the class, your child will get more of the teacher's attention. This means your child will have more opportunities to participate and have their voice heard. A lower student-to-teacher ratio also gives each educator the chance to learn more about their students. This results in a higher degree of individualized instruction and meeting each child's needs.
Social Community
A smaller class size provides more than just teacher-to-student attention. It also gives each child the chance to become part of a tight-knit social community. This can help your child to forge friendships that last well through the elementary, middle, and possibly even high school years.
Decreased Distractions
Even though your child will get the chance to form new bonds with their classmates, this doesn't necessarily mean they'll spend the day socializing. Your child will need to focus during the school day. Without an adequate amount of attention, it's not likely your child will master class content.
Reduced class sizes often equals decreased distractions. Without dozens of students to distract your child (or draw the teacher's attention away), it's easier for them to learn the material.
Social Distancing
How much space is between each student? When social distancing became a necessity for most classrooms, schools with high student numbers couldn't easily accommodate everyone. Without the ability to safely space students away from each other, some schools were forced to create hybrid or rotating class schedules. But if the school already limited the number of students in each class, social distancing isn't a problem.
Improved Academic Outcomes
Research shows a connection between lower class sizes and increased or improved academic outcomes, according to the organization Class Size Matters. Not only may limited class sizes lead to better grades, but it may also decrease the likelihood of retention (the student needing to repeat one grade over again). Some research also points to the impact of smaller class sizes in the odds of graduating from high school.
Now that you know more about the benefits of lower class sizes, it's time to take the next step and choose a school. Before you decide on one private school, ask the principal or director about class sizes and teacher-student ratios for each grade level.