Would you send your kid to this school?

blessedinthewest

SO's daughters are in a private christian school.  The school is very small only about 125 kids I think for K-8th.  Last year their classes were super small like 10 kids.

Well this year one of them is entering 9th grade and her class is the first 9th grade ever at this school.  They expected an enrollment of 8 or so.  Well she starts school on Monday and there are a grand total of 2 (including her) 9th graders.

She gets a lot of social interaction with her large family but I just can't help but feel she is missing out on the social interaction high schoolers normally get.

I guess it's similar to home schooling at this point, but I think with home schooling there is normally a requirement that they do activites outside of the home to interact with children their age? 

Kingston54

I am a strong supporter of religious/private schools, but I would not send my child to a school with only one other student his/her age.

Lola'sDogMom

I wouldn't but then again I am not a private christian school kind of girl. Seems to me she would be missing out on a lot, including after school activities, sports, etc.

aegrimm

The plan (right now) is to enroll our kids in our of the local (free) charter schools for Elementary school because they start with foreign language classes in Kindergarten (which is when kids actually still have an ear for it!). Once they hit Junior High it's public school all the way.

I wouldn't feel comfortable with only 2 kids in a Freshman class.

ruffle&rust

Depends on what you find more important... social interaction or education. If this school is highly accredited then yes my child would attend.

armourall

My niece goes to a school EXACTLY like this, if she did not attend that school the fact that she read at a 5th grade level in the 1st grade would have been overlooked and not developed nearly as much as it has been. Public schools are wonderful but they can't cater to individual child needs the same way a smaller school can. Yes, I would send my child to a school like that.

Stephanie586

I dont know. I went to a private catholic school and our last year was 8th grade and I wish I would have left sooner (we had about 13 kids in the class). I think if she is eventually going to transition into public school with 30+ kids per class the sooner the better. It is quite a shock to head to a large high school coming from such a small school and small classes.  

Alyssajoy87

Sounds like my high school. I went to a private christian school from 3rd-12th grade. By my senior year, there were about 150 of us in the entire school and my graduating class was 17 (which included 2 foreign exchange students from Germany).

There were both good and bad things about going to such a small school. One thing I loved (and still do) was that being with the same people in such a close enviornment gave us the opportunity to become more like family than friends. We were all heavily involved in each other's lives and knew pretty much everything that we were all going through. Years later, those bonds are still very, very strong and I love being that close to my friends.

The biggest downside wasn't that we weren't getting "enough interaction" with other people our own age (jeez, we weren't hermits- we had friends outside of school), but that we didnt' have as many opportuntities as kids who went to larger schools. We had a limited number of sports we could choose to participate in (but no football team, girls soccer, or swimming) and our art and foreign language programs (both of which I heavily invested in) were extremely limited. 

Overall, I'm glad I went to the school I did, but I'm not completely sold on sending my son to a private christian school. 

adam+katie

I would not, but I am a public school teacher. 

I think it is good for children to interact with kids of all different backgrounds (social, economic, etc.), and I don't think they would necessarily get that at such a small school. 

That being said, I am sure it is a lovely school, and that the students get a lot of personal attention.

shotzie

Sounds like the school my cousin went to.  She was one of 7 in her graduating class.  One huge pro to a very small class size is they get lots of one on one attention.  My cousin is seriously the smartest person I've ever known and she has her Masters now and a job at some software company.  I couldn't even explain what she does.  She's also very outgoing and personable.  She went to a "regular" college and had no problem making friends and she dated just like any other college student too. 

As far as the social aspect goes, maybe you could enroll the kids in local team sports or something so they are exposed to more kids and learn how to work as a team and all that good stuff. 

mrs.priss7

I went to a schoo like that and graduated from it. I absolutely loved it but I caution you that it is hard to be in the top 10% of a graduating class when that is exactly 1 person!

Jeni182

Maybe get her involved in some after school activites? Sports or gymnastics or something where she'd have more interaction. I'm not a fan of Christian schools anyway (I think there's something to be said for experiencing diversification) but if you believe that school will offer the best education then I'd see what your options are as far as socialization goes.

Sthrnbell

Yeah, not so much, I learned so much just from being in a large school that helped me later on in life, I want my children to have the chance for some of those same experiences.

blessedinthewest

I guess I just feel a bit weird since it is so different from the norm.  But I'm sure she'll be just fine.

It was funny cause I told SO don't you think she needs more interaction with other kids or something like that.  And he was like oh, I'm sure she'll enjoy interacting with the other student.  (It's a boy and it appears she has a crush on him.)

Alyssajoy87

Jeni182:

Maybe get her involved in some after school activites? Sports or gymnastics or something where she'd have more interaction. I'm not a fan of Christian schools anyway (I think there's something to be said for experiencing diversification) but if you believe that school will offer the best education then I'd see what your options are as far as socialization goes.

Just for the record, at the christian school I attended, we were taught all about other religions and worldviews in great detail so we definitely experienced diversification. I'm sure this isn't true of all christian schools, but some of them are excellent at exposing students to more than just the christian perspective.

blessedinthewest

mrs.priss7:

I went to a schoo like that and graduated from it. I absolutely loved it but I caution you that it is hard to be in the top 10% of a graduating class when that is exactly 1 person!

Yeah, I know most college scholarships ask for extra curricular activities and such as well.  I'm sure the school will offer opportunities for community service, but I don't see how they can really offer her much clubs or sports with so few kids.  It concerns me because they really need to do whatever they can to get scholarships because we aren't going to be able to afford all of the college expenses.

wordtoyourmother

Alyssajoy87:

Just for the record, at the christian school I attended, we were taught all about other religions and worldviews in great detail so we definitely experienced diversification. I'm sure this isn't true of all christian schools, but some of them are excellent at exposing students to more than just the christian perspective.

   I went a private Catholic school.  You are taught all world religions by the time you hit Junior year.  In response to the OP, social interaction can always be found via after school programs and other activities non school related.  Having smaller classes allows focus on those kids who may be finding it difficult to understand the subject matter at hand.  In turn,  not left behind.  

 

hterry85

I was alawys under the understanding that if her school does not offer certain extra curriculars (ie a certain sport she wanted to participate in) that she could join the team (or tryout if that is their normal requirement) at the public school in the district she lives, just like a home school student could do.

Anna&Matt

definitely not. I feel like social interaction is as important as classroom education and I want my child to experience that at school and via family gatherings and such. I mean how is she supposed to have all of the typical high school experiences with only 2 people in her class (ie prom, first date, sports, etc)?

armourall

MrsGarciatobe:

mrs.priss7:

I went to a schoo like that and graduated from it. I absolutely loved it but I caution you that it is hard to be in the top 10% of a graduating class when that is exactly 1 person!

Yeah, I know most college scholarships ask for extra curricular activities and such as well.  I'm sure the school will offer opportunities for community service, but I don't see how they can really offer her much clubs or sports with so few kids.  It concerns me because they really need to do whatever they can to get scholarships because we aren't going to be able to afford all of the college expenses.

A lot of scholorships are offered through the school dirstrict and companies and do not exclude private schools. There are many opprotunites for private school students to earn scholorships.

pnwjess

I don't think so- what if they end up hating the one other kid and have to deal with them all the time? Although, I did hate my brother growing up and I survived. LOL. If it's a good school and she doesn't mind it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I think I'd want a few more kids in the class.

noangel293

honestly, I went to private school so I 100% support private schools.. but as for the enrollment of 2 9th graders, I wouldn't send my child there unless he/she specifically requested it. And with homeschool, there is no requirement on activities outside the home (at least not in PA). I was technically homeschooled my senior year because I graduated from an online school and my mother home schooled me for part of my 4th grade year due to transferring from public to private school... never had a requirement for outside interaction.

If she is requesting to go there, I wouldn't worry. I requested online school in 9th grade and was denied by my parents... took me 3 years to convince them and I enjoyed my senior year more than any other year of school (even finished 2 weeks early). Sometimes, you just gotta leave it up to what the child really wants.

mayowife

adam+katie:

I would not, but I am a public school teacher. 

I think it is good for children to interact with kids of all different backgrounds (social, economic, etc.), and I don't think they would necessarily get that at such a small school. 

That being said, I am sure it is a lovely school, and that the students get a lot of personal attention.

This. I must add school quality and the public vs. private debate varies by region. In my area public schools are preferred and often better overall in good communities.