Ninety eight percent of our country attends school. Eighty five percent of that number actually graduate. When looking at the percentages as a whole, does it really make a difference as to which type of school parents send their children to? While many parents prefer public school because there’s no tuition, there are parents that, even if money isn’t conveniently available, send their children to private school for the “better education”. But the question is, does public school really provide a better education, or is it just hype?

In an article on huffingtonpost.com, Robert Niles gives his reasons for sending his children to public school. Among the reasons are “Private schools aren’t inherently better [according to a study at University of Illinois]” (Why I send My Children to Public Schools Robert Niles http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-niles/public-schools_b_1002466.html) and “Public schools are for everyone” (Why I send My Children to Public Schools Robert Niles http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-niles/public-schools_b_1002466.html) meaning, public schools don’t discriminate against wealth or grades.

What Niles states is completely true. But does that mean that kids that attend public schools do not get as good of an education than, per say, children that attend a catholic or charter school? The answer is no. For the most part, per grade curriculum doesn’t vary between schools. What most parents see as a “better education” is just better discipline. Private schools, having to attend to the needs of less children than public schools, are able to focus on more detail such as dress code and enforcing strict rules. It’s these rules and regulations that parents perceive as a “better education”. Because the faculty of private schools has fewer students, they can achieve one-on-one time with students and have smaller class sizes. Having this advantage helps guide students to a more educational path as to where at public school, the students are more teacher-independent resulting in less discipline and guidance. Although private school has that small advantage over public school, it isn’t the determining factor in a “good education”. A focused student that wants to learn is the real determining factor—no matter what type of school they attend—in the quality of the education they receive.