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While watching an episode of Bones last night–”The Bone That Blew,” Season Four–I chuckled at several scenes in which Agent Booth questions Dr. Brennan on whether Parker, his son, would benefit from a private education. The FBI agent had the mentality most defenders of public school had: “I went to public school and I came out fine! Why shouldn’t my child?” Dr. Brennan counterargued that yes, it’s true, students in public schools have the potential for success, but only with the enrichment of at-home learning. Fortunately for her, her father had a career as a science teacher and could teach her around-the-clock, even when she’d left the classroom.

This is a situation parents face everyday when considering their child’s education.

What’s the differences between public and private education? Should you enroll your child in private school when you went to public school and everything turned out swell? Is there a problem with enrolling your child in a public school when your parents sent you to a private school?

Consider the way your child learns. If your child thrives in large classroom settings, public schools may fit the mold; on the other hand, children that thrive from personal attention and quiet, smaller classrooms may thrive the best in a private school. Especially at the elementary school level, children have a diverse selection of educational options for their parents to choose from beyond the doors of private schools, like Montessori schools and parochial schools. Public schools, by contrast, have to fulfill specific district standards and only teach in standard ways.

Well, most public schools. There’s always exceptions to the rule, like the highly-competitive magnet program from Troy High School, a public school in Fullerton, California. It’s best to check the options available from all the public and private schools in the area in case there’s an Easter egg in your backyard that will give quality education without the private school’s steep bill.

Consider what you can afford. Sometimes the price tag on private schools is just too steep; you’ll read that you should never put a price on your child’s education, but mortage and food are more important than your private school’s annual costs.

In the case of families that cannot afford education from a private school, turn to the following alternatives:

• Your public school’s extracurricular activities. Studies show that after-school music programs increase a child’s learning experience. Some schools even incorporate music right into the curriculum.
• Your child’s continued learning at home. There’s nothing wrong with consulting a website on home schooling methods to continue teaching your child outside the classroom. In fact, here’s a great one. Studies have shown that college-educated parents lead to more educated children, and this is mostly because the parent has personal academic enrichment that they can carry on to their child. Any parent can take their child to museums, read books to them, and sit down and help with homework though; it’s especially important to get involved with a child that’s enrolled in public school that has to divide involvement across twenty-five to forty children in one classroom.
• Your child’s other extracurricular acitivities. Most public schools aren’t going to offer things like Karate, dance, and learning Mandarin. If you cannot afford private school, you may still be able to afford extracurricular lessons in an interest you child has outside of the public school. Learning for the muscles helps learning for the mind, so encourage things like sports and fitness just as much as you would art or language lessons.
• Your child’s access to private tutoring. Some public schools offer tutoring for children; others don’t. If your district does not have tutoring available, consider looking at tutoring programs in the area for any area your child needs additional personal attention in.

Research, research, research! Treat your child’s education like applying for a job; look into all the options available to you and ask questions about the public and private schools you are considering. Get to know the differences between public and private schools in your area, because every school is unique. For broad ended differences between private and public education, consider the following resources:

• Searching for the Perfect K-12 School
• The Differences in Teaching Between Private and Public Schools
• The Differences Between Public, Private, Magnet, Charter, and More
• Public Schools vs. Private Schools: New Study Says There’s No Difference
• Best School Lists: Are They Really Useful?

Researching the differences between public and private schools, how to find the best K-12 school for your child, and selecting your child’s education is an interest to you–and that’s why you’re here. This is already putting your child one step ahead.

Ask others that know your child what they think. Opinions about public and private schools vary across the Internet and are only partially applicable to your child; in the end, the best advice is from someone that knows your child and what would most benefit him or her. If you want opinions on how to help your child’s education, consult other parents that know your child, or babysitters or relatives. Don’t be afraid to expand out of Agent Booth’s mentality, “I know what’s best for my child’s education.” In the end, when Dr. Brennan’s father helps his son with a science experiment, everyone thrives; your child’s best friend’s mom may be able to help you decide whether junior would excel in the social environment of a public school or a private school.

It’s hard to find the right child-school match; a lot harder than finding the right size shoe or clothes for your child’s first school day. Invest gobbles of time into your child’s future and find the best private or public school that is right for his or her future.