If you’ve been looking for a school option for your growing child, then this list will be the ultimate guide for you. We’ve gathered the 13 different types of schooling that exist in the USA school system. Take a look at the standards and decide what’s best for you and your child.
Public Schooling
Traditional Public School
Public schooling is the most common type of schooling in the USA. The schools are funded with public money and overseen by school boards. Traditional public schools will abide by certain standards and often show they are meeting those standards via standardized testing.
Charter School
This school is a mix between a public and a private school. They are free; however, parents have to submit a separate application to enroll in this type of schooling. They can make more decisions about what to teach and focus on in comparison to public schools. Often, the freedom is translated into pressure to perform in their specified field.
Magnet School
These free public schools specialize in certain areas like the sciences or arts. They are operated by a district and enroll students using a random lottery. Spots can be competitive.
Public Online School
More public schools are opening online options for students. Like home schools, these take place at home. They offer flexibility and freedom for students to learn at their pace. There are major differences per program, so it is vital to track what you are getting into.
Private Schooling
Traditional Private School
The government does not fund these schools. Instead, tuition paid by parents keeps the school running. They have the freedom to deviate from the national curriculum and focus on whatever they wish.
Boarding School
A boarding school offers both food and lodging to its child. However, they also have a thriving community of scholars, athletes, and artists. Most require students to live on campus for the whole school year. They offer deeper relationships, extra-curricular activities, and many extras other schools can’t.
Language Immersion School
These types of schools teach in a second language for the students. In general, these are designed for a student whose first language is English but wants to be fluent in another language. In these schools, almost all of the classes are taught in the second language but can be supplemented by English when the need arises.
Special Education Schools
These types of school are designed for children with mental or physical limitations that are keeping them from succeeding in other types of schooling. They are better equipped to deal with special needs children, their limitations, and their needs. Often, they will have extra counselors, nurses, and advisors that are informed of the specific limitations and needs of each child.
Parochial School
These are specifically religious schools that get most of their funding from a local church. As such, they are often partnered with the church and often cost less than other religious private schools. Their education is much like a traditional private school; however, they often have a religion class or chapel time.
Religious School
These are simply private schools that have a religious background. Tuition will still be paid completely by the parent. They often have uniforms that must be paid for outside of tuition. Because they are independent, these schools have more control over their religion classes than parochial schools do.
Non-Traditional Schooling
Montessori
Montessori schooling honors each child’s interests. While the curriculum is well rounded, it also emphasizes hands-on learning and subjects that the child has taken an interest in. It’s a structure that teaches children independence and advanced thinking from a young age.
Waldorf
Waldorf schools put emotional and imaginative learning first, and the formal academic curriculum does not begin until around seven years of age. It is a slow and steady approach.
Teaching Approaches
Reggio Emilia
Not exactly a whole schooling type, the Reggio Emilia approach focuses on the ways that a child learns. Its best-known idea is that “the child has a hundred languages.” As such, teachers document each student’s learning moments, emotions, and expressions so that they can best teach and help each child grow.
Whatever You Choose, Keep Kids Moving
No matter which type of school fits your family, kids do best with time to move and play outside the classroom. If you are in Boise, our before and after school care covers kindergarten through 6th grade, our preschool is for ages 3 to 6, and our camps fill school breaks and no-school days.