How to Find the Best Private School in Georgia

Selecting the best school for your child can be challenging.

Selecting a private school for your child can be a daunting task. Different schools emphasize various educational components and understanding your child's particular needs and interests is vital in the selection process. Ultimately the best private school for your child will be a place where she feels comfortable and adequately challenged. Geography, price and graduate success are simply a few of the parameters you must consider when beginning this process.

Instructions

1. Find a map of your county and mark your home location as well as your preferred radius for a private school. Take into consideration road quality, traffic and distance from your place of employment. If your child is not of driving age, these will greatly affect your daily commute.

2. Obtain information on all the private schools within that radius. An excellent resource for Georgia private schools can be found at Private School Review. The website with Georgia selected as the desired state is listed in the resources section. This site allows you to choose your preferred county and see all the available schools along with their grade levels.

3. Narrow your search down to those schools with the appropriate grade level for your child. Investigate price, educational philosophy as well as additional requirements, such as entrance exams, by searching the websites of each school. Websites can be reached through Private School Review. If the school does not have a website, call to obtain information.

4. Use a spreadsheet to narrow your possible options down to five or 10 schools. Create a spreadsheet listing your requirements in a school and what each school offers. Assign a number -- one to five-- for each school with "one" indicating the school does not provide your requirement; and up to "five" indicating the school goes above and beyond your expectations in that area. Grade each school based on its component parts. This can be particularly helpful if you live in a very populated county, such as Fulton County with 29 private schools.

5. Visit your top five or 10 school options. Take your child and speak with administrators as well as teachers. Ask what previous students chose to do after graduation. Determine the college matriculation rate. Also, confirm your child fulfills or can fulfill the attendance requirements, and make sure you can afford the tuition.

Tips & Warnings

• Select your top choice based on your knowledge of the logistics of each school, the price tag, your child's personal preference and your own visceral response to the school.

References

• Private Schools Directory: Private Schools in Fulton County