For some families, choosing a public or private school is simple. They know what makes the most sense for their families and don’t have to spend much time thinking about it. This is especially true for people who opt for public school because their kids’ school is determined solely by their location. However, the case is not the same for everyone. We know some families struggle to decide the best educational fit for their children. We always advise asking as many questions as possible to ensure that you choose the place that will best help your children thrive through the next stages of their lives.

The next thing you’re likely wondering is, what are the questions we should be asking? We have compiled a list of six questions that we think will help parents determine the right next step for their children’s educational future. For answers to more of these questions, we encourage you to visit our YouTube page, where we have many beneficial videos available.

1. What Kind Of Education Do You Want Your Child To Have?

One of the factors about private school education that makes it such an obvious choice for many families is the integration of faith-based learning into the classroom. Faith is a high priority for many families, and they want it to be central to their children’s education. If this sounds like you, a DeLand private school is the only place where you’ll have access to that type of education. Due to the diversity of classrooms, public schools aren’t allowed to provide the kind of education you’re looking for. It’s essential that you and your family sit down and take some time to determine how vital faith-based schooling is to you. This bit of information will be a linchpin in your decision-making moving forward.

2. How Can I Best Meet My Child’s Academic Needs?

Each child is a beautiful masterpiece. They have different interests, different personalities, and different academic needs. It is an important exercise to understand the educational needs of your particular child so that you can determine what school environment will best serve them. One of the hallmarks of our DeLand private school is small classrooms. When a teacher has a limited number of students to manage each day, they can more easily accommodate each student’s personal and academic needs. If your child needs extra help in certain areas, a private school environment is a great way to ensure that they get the attention required to help them excel in all their subjects.

3. Does Private School Prepare Students for High School?

We are exceptionally proud of our students no matter where they go after they leave our doors. And we’re also pleased to say that many of them go on to participate in advanced academic programs like honors, advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, and specialized academies. Thanks to our rigorous curriculum and the individualized attention students get in our intimate classrooms, our students fare very well when they leave St. Barnabas, whether they continue to a private high school or enter the local public school system.

4. Can My Child Enjoy Extracurriculars In Private School?

The extracurricular programs at St. Barnabas school are vibrant and thriving. We offer a wide array of different options, including fine arts, music, visual arts, and athletics. In fact, we offer the largest number of athletic opportunities of any school in the district. Our students participate in basketball, baseball, surfing, and an award-winning cheerleading team. We also offer other enrichment programs such as STEM and computer coding. We have extracurricular activities to accommodate almost any interest your children have, and they will participate in them within the safe and faith-based environment of our DeLand private school.

5. Does St. Barnabas Offer Financial Aid?

At St. Barnabas, we are very proud to offer a wide variety of financial aid options. We want to ensure that any student who wants to attend has the resources available. We offer scholarships and financial aid that come directly from our school and state-funded scholarships for students to qualify. Currently, approximately 25% of our student body participates in financial aid. We believe this helps us create a more robust and diverse campus community.

6. How Is Technology Integrated In Your Classrooms?

We understand that we live in a technological world, so we take technology integration very seriously in our classrooms when and where it’s appropriate. We are proud to say that we have provided iPads for the students in our preschool and kindergarten programs and Chromebooks for all students in grades one through eight. We find that access to this technology for our middle school students enables them to learn smoothly on the same platform in the classroom and at home.

These are just a few of the many questions parents have as they decide whether to send their children to our DeLand private school. At St. Barnabas School, we see day in and day out the tangible benefits of a private school for students of all kinds, with all different types of learning styles and with varying financial needs. And we hope that if you are curious about our programs, you will reach out to our office. We have talented admissions staff available to answer any of your questions. Contact our office anytime.