Going to visit private schools -- what should I ask?

[Kallison]

Any hints, tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[amid chaos]

What grade level?

 

[Lanshark]

Are the teachers certified in the subjects they are teaching?

How experienced are the teachers?

How long have they been operating?

How long have they been operating under the current administration?

What is the tuition?

Any added costs for extra services?

Are they financially stable?

What math, reading writing series do they use.

How do they handle dicipline issues.

General philosophy.

Do they have PE, Music, Art or other elective courses?

What is the student to teacher ratio?

If your child experiences trouble in a particular subject area is extra help available?

I'll probably think of more before the night is through. We've been private for many years and all of these issues have come up at one time or another. Got into a situation where the current administration all quit and a new one came in and changed everything.

 

[christineann]

Is the school accredited

Is there an honor code

What degrees do the faculty have, and what is the turnover rate among the faculty

What percentage of the graduates go on to 4 year colleges

Is there a strong college guidance counseling department

What are the fundraising expectations

 

[Kallison]

You guys are the best -- thanks for taking the time to answer my question, I'm going to use them all! The only one I could think of was How much do you spend per student -- oh and What is the student/teacher ratio? I'm very upset about moving, so I'm not thinking clearly.

The grades for my kids next year will be 5th-6th and 8th. Any more?

 

[Alex]

I would do something more than just ask questions..
I would LOOK...
Is the school clean?
If not do they have any pride in the place?
If classes aren't in session ask if you can visit when they are
Are the students behaved, how does the interaction between students and teachers seem?
I think you could learn a lot more from that than all the questions in the world

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

How much work do they receive outside of school?


Is there help for students who may have fallen behind?

WHat is there absence policy?

Is there a good relationship between the upperclassmen and lowerclassmen?

 

[KimRaye]

How many fundraisers per year/per child?!?!?!?!

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Are parents expected to work (volunteer) a certain amount of hours per year? Is there a buy out option?