Education can be delivered by several methods. Depending on what your education goals are for your children/family, those requirements can be met with public schooling, private schooling or home schooling. They each have advantages and disadvantages, but the common thread is it will cost you.
Public School
A public school is a school that is funded with tax revenue and administered by a government or government agency. In the United States, Australia and Canada, these are run by the State government. A recent phenonmenon that has happened in California is the States budget is at a deficit, which has cascaded down to local city and county governments. The net result is a bankrupt system that cannot afford to continue to provide “free” public schools. The schools most affected by this are the ones that deliver education to Kindergarten through High School (secondary school), also known as K through Twelve or K-12.
There is also the concept of a Public University, which is a post secondary school or college operated by the state. Funding also comes from the states budget to subsidize tuition making it more affordable to attend college. However, the recent budget crisis has imputed its problem onto the public college system, forcing them to increase their tuition rates, so that even the affordable colleges are becoming un-affordable
Private School
Private schools are not administered by local, state or national governmnets, funded in whole or part by charging the students tuition, rather than relying on the tax revenue of the government. Private school is expensive, yet these schools do provide scholarships. Because private school is so expensive, and the education is focused, it is sometimes referred to as college-prep school, or “prep-school”. Tuition can be as high as $45,000.00 a year.
Private colleges or universities are also not operated by government, yet receive public subsidies in the form of tax breaks, student loans and grants. Some of the worlds most renowned universities are private, such as Stanford University, and Harvard University. The level of education at a private university is comparable to that of a public university, although the private system tends to supply more focus and prestige in their education.
Home School
Home Schooling is the education of children at home, typically by parents and sometimes augmented with tutors as opposed to the formal settings of private or public school. Home schooling is an option for parents that can afford to stay home and educate their children. Some parents say they get better results through home schooling.
