²ÝÁñÉçÇø

Updated
|
Free Schools
Discover tuition-free private schools in the US. Learn about prestigious institutions offering free education and how they're transforming lives through opportunity.

There are only a handful of free private schools in the United States.

  • Most of them were founded many years ago by visionary, community-minded individuals.
  • These public-minded men and women believed that children from working-class and poor families should have the same educational advantages as children from families with money.
  • Several schools have a religious connection, such as Regis High in New York and the Cristo Rey Schools.
  • While the details vary from school to school, they all provide a tuition-free education.
  • The Cristo Rey schools have a work-study component.

Parental involvement is another feature of these schools.

  • These schools have had an enormous impact on society.
  • They benefit thousands of students, and their families are priceless.

As you read about these schools and watch the videos, remember that all these schools believe emphatically that an education does not consist solely of academics.

  • Each school understands that a child needs nurturing and counseling to maximize the opportunities before him.
  • These schools expect the child's family to be involved.
  • His education is a partnership of three: home, school, and student. That's what it takes to provide the solid foundation a child needs to succeed in adulthood.

Free ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Schools

De Marillac Academy, San Francisco

De Marillac Academy, San Francisco is an example of the best educational initiative the Roman Catholic Church sponsored.

  • Established by the Daughters of Charity and De La Salle Christian Brothers, the school provides tuition-free schooling for middle school-age children in one
. . .read more

Do You Know....?

Updated
|
Do You Know....?
If you know the answers to all these questions, you probably teach or work in a private school. Be that as it may, these questions contain links with the answers.

Do you know....? If you know the answers to all these questions, you probably teach or work in a private school. Be that as it may, these questions contain links with the answers. Test your knowledge. Dispel some urban legends about private schools. Do you know....?

Questions about ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Schools

. . .read more

5 Clues That It Might Not Really Be Montessori School

Updated
|
5 Clues That It Might Not  Really Be Montessori School
This article outlines five key indicators to help parents identify authentic Montessori schools. It emphasizes the importance of self-directed learning, multi-age classrooms, cultural emphasis, and proper teacher credentials in genuine Montessori environments.

Dr. Maria Montessori founded Casa de Bambini in a poor neighborhood of Rome, Italy, in 1906. She blazed new trails in early education by believing in the innate goodness of children, encouraging them to be curious and explore, and creating a teaching environment that followed the child.

Dr. Montessori's experiments and research ultimately produced a worldwide movement. Over 100 years later, her findings and research have stood the test of time and have been validated by modern analysis and investigation. Montessori schools have multiplied like rabbits in the United States from the 1960s onwards. Unlike Dr. Montessori's schools, which served poor children, most Montessori schools in North America educate children from the middle classes. Indeed, the Montessori approach has been used with children in all kinds of situations. It is very adaptable to the needs of a wide range of children.

Dr. Montessori never trademarked the name Montessori, nor did she claim any patents on her methodology. The result is that many Montessori schools out there claim to be the real thing. Some schools may include elements of Dr. Montessori's methods and philosophy in their teaching. Other schools quietly sublimate the parts of Dr. Montessori's thinking that may be inappropriate in their setting. In short, there are almost as many flavors of Montessori as there are schools. Not a bad thing in itself, but as always, do your due diligence. Caveat emptor!

Five Things to Look For

Here are five things you should look for

. . .read more

5 Things You Must Not Do With Personal Technology

Updated
|
5 Things You Must Not Do With Personal Technology
Young people take personal technology devices for granted. We parents and teachers must make them aware of how such devices are used in the real world.

Most private schools have an in place governing the use of technology. That means that students in private schools must follow their school's guidelines and directives when using personal technology. Personal technology includes laptops, desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. What perplexes many mature teachers is that none of these devices were commonly used years ago. The reality is that young people have some or all of these devices and use them naturally, freely, and without much thought. Using technology is second nature to students these days.

As a rule, there are limits on these devices and their use in private schools. Let's look at five things you are not supposed to do with personal technology. Breaking the rules in your school could land you in a heap of trouble, including expulsion. Review her school's personal technology use policy if you are a parent. Then discuss the policy with your child. Help her understand the rules, the limits, and why the school has a technology policy. Remind her further that she has no rights in a private school. So if the school disciplines her for an infraction, there is little or no recourse. That is because private school students are covered by contract law. The rights and privileges are spelled out in the contract you signed with the school. She does not have constitutional rights per se. The contract is a legal, binding document.

Five Things You Must Not Do with Personal
. . .read more

5 Things Not To Like About ²ÝÁñÉçÇø School

Updated
|
5 Things Not To Like About ²ÝÁñÉçÇø School
Are private schools only for wealthy families? Explore the most common criticisms of private education and how today's schools are addressing affordability, diversity, academics, wellness, and student life in 2026.

What’s Not to Like About ²ÝÁñÉçÇø School?

When critics inveigh against private schools, they tend to pick on issues such as the following.

Everybody’s Rich

Looking at most private schools’ beginnings, you will discover that their original clientele was not children from wealthy families. Many of the founders of schools back in colonial times, the Phillips family, for example, saw education as the way forward for the infant democracy in the United States. For the nation to survive, it needed a literate, educated, proficient population.

European crusaders like Dr. Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf Schools movement, began their work among the poor and working classes. Their teachings captured the imagination of the American middle and upper classes when their movements spread to the United States.

Over time, as the schools expanded, they became highly prized for what they accomplished, namely providing an excellent academic education combined with sports and solid core values. Market forces conspired to drive the cost of education up. Social forces conspired to make private schools the place where the elite sent their children.

In the 21st century, egalitarian ideas once more have the upper hand. ²ÝÁñÉçÇø schools seek out and encourage applicants from every social and economic stratum. Diversity rules. Not everybody who attends private school is rich.

That point is especially important in 2026. The independent school sector now tracks admissions, enrollment, tuition, financial aid, and operating data closely through the ,

. . .read more

Recent Articles

Ask Current Parents What Admissions Won't Answer
Ask Current Parents What Admissions Won't Answer
Learn how to ask current private school parents revealing questions about culture, academics, communication, costs, discipline, and community life before deciding whether a school truly fits your family well.
When School Anxiety Is Really a School Fit Problem
When School Anxiety Is Really a School Fit Problem
Learn when school anxiety may signal a poor school fit, how parents can identify academic or social mismatches, and when changing private schools deserves serious consideration for families today.
Will My Child Find Their People? Evaluating School Culture
Will My Child Find Their People? Evaluating School Culture
Learn how to evaluate private school culture, student belonging, friendships, teacher relationships, social dynamics, and authentic community fit so your child can find the right place to thrive and connect.