What is a "Private School"?

(this is a revision of an article published in June of 2004)

In the United States (at least in some circles) "my kid goes to private school" has become a chant of status.  However, not all private schools mean "highly selective institution of highly rigorous and demanding curriculum".

The "private school" universe should be properly segmented:

• Parochial schools of the Roman Catholic Church  (PBS Ethics & Religon special) --typically under the authority of the local diocese.
• What NCES calls "religious conservative schools" -- typically Christian,  teaching "back to basics" and a biblically-based science curriculum (i.e., creationism rather than evolution).
  
• Religious-affiliation schools requiring (or putting a strong emphasis on) attendance at a given church or membership in a given sect (think of the academies of the Seventh Day Adventists).
  
• What might be called "conscripted" religious schools--the Sacred Hearts, the Notre Dames of suburbia.  These schools are commonly run by independent orders of religious.  At least here in the San Francisco Bay area, the schools ' curriculum includes theology, but accept students of all (or no) religion, and do not require a profession of faith.  There has been a huge growth in Jewish day schools,
• Private schools that are not-for-profit, but follow a particular branded philosophy (such as Montessori schools, or Waldorf Schools)*.
• Proprietary schools, stand-alone or chain, whose tuition includes a profit for the proprietors.  (NECS lumps these into "nonsectarian private schools"--not distinguishing between not-for-profit and for-profit. ) Examples include: 
  
  • Carden Schools: 
  • Challenger Schools (a chain based in Utah)
  • Stratford School (a chain based in Danville, California)
  • Pinecrest Schools (a chain in Southern California)
• Truly independent schools, usually with membership in the National Association of Independent Schools.  Independent schools are non-public, not-for-profit, pre-collegiate institutions governed by boards of trustees. 

What makes an independent school different from a private school?  All independent schools, to deserve the name, must be not-for-profit.  All independent schools are  governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees.  The role of the board is to:

• Establish the school's mission
• Safeguard the mission
• Manage the school and its assets for future generations.

That's not to say that a for-profit enterprise can't be good.  It is just different.

At least in the San Francisco Bay area, the distinction between for-profit schools and independent schools isn't particularly clear to the consumers (parents applying to schools). 

 

The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) is an association of associations.  It has a page outlining all the different types of schools that make up the CAPE landscape.

Our nation is blessed by a rich diversity of private schools -- some         rooted in religious traditions, some that provide intensive academic experiences,         some that reflect a particular pedagogy, and some that are specialized         for specific populations. These diverse schools and strong, often faith-based,         communities help fulfill the American ideal of educational pluralism and         collectively contribute to the common good.

The National Independent Private Schools Association is an association of for-profit (proprietary)  elementary through high school institutions. 

Another type of private school is the proprietary academic school organized as a for-profit corporation. There are about 1,000 in the country, according to Jim Williams of the National Independent Private Schools Association. "We are the tax-paying schools," Williams says. "Most schools start with an idea, the vision of someone. Many of the people who start proprietary schools are disenchanted public-school or disappointed independent-school teachers who don't want to deal with a board of directors or a school board." He points out that most of the elite prep schools of the 19th century began as proprietary schools with fees paid to headmasters. "People who get involved with proprietary schools are pleased with what they see," Williams says.

One thing about the Challenger program -- I don't think they sought accreditation with WASC.   The Stratford Los Gatos campus is accredited, and the Sunnyvale campus is a candidate for accreditation,  but the others don't seem to be.  Accreditation, or progress toward accreditation, is something I'd be concerned about, as a parent.

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*Some people make the case that a Waldorf school is actually a religious school
system hiding behind a facade of progressive, arts-based education

 

 

Comments

[Bill]

Our older son went to a "conscripted" Catholic high school -- the student population there was more ethnically and culturally diverse than at the public school here in the little homogeneous suburb we live. We are so pleased that he went there.

[Liz]

In my view, it is almost impossible to talk about "American Education" in a meaningful way--the conditions vary so wildly from town to town, state to state--even district to district. As Bill pointed out, sometimes the non-government schools are more more diverse.