Picking the right school in 5 easy steps.

Parents it that time of year where schools will start accepting applications for the fall semester.  How do you decide what schools to apply to?? My son is only in the second grade but I am always on the lookout for the best school.  Here are 5 easy steps I use to choose the school that will be best for us.

1.       Determine the attributes of the perfect school for you and your child

Does your child have special needs?? For example does your child have asthmas and may require a puff on their inhaler at least once a day.  You will want to look for school that has a nurse on staff.  Or does your child have special learning needs where a smaller class environment would be more conducive for him or her. Review the teacher to student ratio of the school you are interested in.  Do you prefer private of public??  If private how much is it per year and do they have scholarships or financial aid.

2.       How does the school rated??

You will definitely want to look at how each school you are considering rates.  Websites like Great Schools.org will give you information on how the children of the school do on standardize testing, what the cultural splits are in the school, and any after school programs they have.  They also have a section for parent feedback so you can get a feel for what other parents think of the school.

3.       Visit the schools you are interesting

Once you have created a list of schools that you think would be a good fit, make appointments to take a tour and to talk with the enrollment coordinator.  Seeing a school with your own eyes will tell you if what you read about the school is correct.  Ask questions specific to your child’s needs.  Note how the school is set up.  Not all schools are set up the way they were when we went to school.  For example my son’s elementary school only has 2 grades per floor.  Each floor has its own cafeteria and each class room has its own bathroom.  To me this was a plus.  It meant for the most part only kids of similar age and size interact.  This helped calm my fears of the stigma of bullying in elementary school.

4.       How do you apply??

Know the application process of the school you want to apply to.  Do they accept applications via their website or do you have to walk the application in??  What is the deadline for turning in application??  What is the criteria for acceptance??  How many spots are open for the grade you are applying to??  Knowing all of these things will help manage your expectations.

5.       Decide which school your child will attend in the fall

If you have followed all of the steps above you know exactly which school is your dream school and your decision is made.

Deciding where to send your child doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful.  Just take one step at a time and your decision will make itself.