Why private school?

We have been asked this question a lot.  Why do we send our kids to private school when Boise has really good public education?  Well, if you must know, we had all this money lying around and couldn't find a use for it.  Oh, wait...  It's certainly not because Mark and I were private school kids.  We both went to public and turned out okay,  Right?  Never mind, don't answer that,

Our girls education has taken a big commitment from us.  It does cost a lot of money.  Well, it's a lot to us, anyway.  (I actually know people that spend more per year on preschool or daycare)  But, part of what we are paying for is the environment.  Our kids are in a place that not only encourages a college education, but expects it.  The teachers and staff are committed to helping the kids learn.  And the kids are committed to learning.  Talk about a driven and successful group of students.

It's no secret that we are Catholic.  I'm cool with it if you're anti-religion, or anti-Catholic.  That's your choice, just as us choosing Catholicism is ours.  But yes, our kids attend Catholic school.  The religion is part of the reason we send them.  However, it is a really small part of it.  Our girls get the majority of their faith education at home.  That's our job.  I will say that I love that the high school has a Comparative Religion class.  If our girls remain Catholic, I want to know it's because they chose it, not that we chose it for them.  They need to see what is out there in order to know for sure what they believe.

When your children attend a smaller school, there is often a great sense of community.  I know Mark experienced this growing up in a small town.  And if we lived somewhere like that, our kids probably would attend public school.  I like that all the teachers and staff know our family.  I don't feel like that is the reality in public school generally.  At least around here.  It's nice to know that they are looking out for our kids when we aren't around.

Community service is expected as young as Kindergarten at our schools.  The parental involvement is staggering.  The staff to student ratio is incredible.  I could go on an on.  But, I won't.  I'll just say that we chose private school because it was the right fit for our family.  Is it perfect?  By no means.  There are issues anywhere.  But, it's been a really positive experience for all of us.  And obviously, we are proof that private school isn't only for rich kids...