There are more than 30,000 private schools in the country out of about 100,000 schools in total, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). While it may sound like there are plenty of private school options around, some localities have limited or no access to them at all. And, even if there is one or more private schools around, many parents can’t afford to send their children to one even if they wanted to.
As a result, the NCES was only able to record only 4.7 million students enrolled in private schools from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 and postgraduate studies in 2019. This represents less than 10% of the entire student population in the country. This figure fell from 5.7 million in 2017 too. Compare that with public school enrollment numbers: 50.8 million students are enrolled in public schools as of 2019.
A big reason for this is the cost of private schools, which is well-known to be daunting. According to an Education Data Initiative report, “The average cost of private school attendance from kindergarten through 4 years of postsecondary study is $307,262.” In 2021, it would have cost $12,790 to send your child to elementary or secondary school, $15,344 to high school, $35,248 to a private university, $60,000 to a top boarding school, and $69,150 to a private boarding school.
In general, sending your kid to study in a private school in Connecticut would cost you the most in the country, with average tuition in the state sitting at more than $29,000. On the other hand, if you lived in South Dakota and had your children study at a private school there, you would only be spending about $4,000 for tuition, on average.
Plus, the private school admissions process can be selective, favoring those of a more privileged background over those from poorer ones. As a result, private schools typically see a concentration of students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.
Access to private schools and its affordability are the two major problems that beset the current education landscape. So, what are private schools doing about them? How are they tackling the problems of affordability and accessibility today?
Private School Financial Aid
Some private schools offer financial aid to attract talented and diverse students who can’t afford to pay the full tuition. It is a need-based subsidy that is typically applied to the tuition fee but may also cover textbooks, extracurricular activities, school trips, and other additional expenses.
The criteria may vary from one private school to another, but they will generally look at a student’s family income, assets, debts, and other factors. In the same way, what financial aids cover may also differ.
“Some schools will be able to offer assistance to any family in need, while others may have a very limited aid budget that is doled out on a first-come, first-served basis,” Sean Moore, a Certified Financial Planner, told life insurance and financial services firm MassMutual.
Private School Scholarships
Scholarship awards are limited but a few private schools do offer them to deserving students. They typically amount to a couple thousand dollars, so it most likely will not cover a student’s entire tuition cost. Despite the small amount, there is somewhat of a fierce competition for them. They are usually available to minorities, low-income families, or special needs children.
Sibling and Religious Discounts
If more than one child is studying at a private school, the family may be entitled to a student discount. The tuition of a child who belongs to or is affiliated with a particular religion or house of worship may also receive a discount. These discounts will still depend on the school and your financial situation.
Payment Plans
The tuition for private schools can be expensive, but if broken down into a down payment and monthly installments, more families will be able to afford them. Many private schools offer this payment scheme known as a payment plan.
Private School Choice Programs
Basically, this program allows parents the use of public funds to pay for their children’s tuition at private schools and other alternatives, including charter schools, homeschooling, and online learning.
There are six types of school choice programs, as follows:
Education Savings Account (ESA)
These are publicly funded, government-authorized savings accounts, which can only be used for educational purposes. Parents can use the funds to pay for tuition and also for textbooks, tutoring, and online education programs. It can even be used to pay for therapies for students with special needs or to save up for college.
School Vouchers
Vouchers from a school district can be used to pay for partial or full tuition. It is applicable for both religious and non-religious private schools.
Tax-Credit Scholarships
Businesses or individuals who donate to non-profits that provide private school scholarships can receive partial or full tax credits.
Tax-Credit Education Savings Account
Essentially the same as the regular ESAs, but the funding source is different. These ESAs are parent-directed K-12 education savings accounts funded by donations to non-profit organizations. These donations are eligible for partial or full tax credits.
Refundable Tax Credits
Parents can receive tax relief plus refunds up to the maximum allowable credit amount if their approved educational expenses exceed the taxes they owe the state. Approved educational expenses include tuition, books, transportation, computers, tutors, and supplies.
Individual Tax Credits and Deductions
Parents receive income tax relief for approved educational expenses.
Over half of the country offer school choice programs, though not all of them are the same. The programs depend on the state, the family’s annual income, special needs, and the student’s grades.
Making Private School More Affordable & Accessible is Important
Here’s the truth: Parents actually want to send their children to private school, so the measures mentioned above are necessary to make private schools more affordable and accessible to more students.
Non-profit EdChoice surveyed parents regarding their preferences when it comes to schools and where they actually ended up enrolling their children. Here are the results:
Table 1. Parent Preferences Vs. Actual Enrollment.
| Parent Preferences | Actual Enrollment | |
| Public District School | 38% | 80% |
| Private School | 36% | 8% |
| Charter School | 9% | 7% |
| Homeschool | 9% | 5% |
| *2% had no school preferences. |
Source: EdChoice
Sadly, while the desire to enroll their kids to private school is present, parents just can’t afford to do so. In the end, they look to options that are within their budget range.