If you live abroad and are thinking about sending your child to an American private school, you need to be aware of several things about American schools. If you are being transferred to the United States by your employer, your move may entail help finding and paying for private schools for your school-age children. Let's explore five characteristics of American private schools you need to know.
1. The U.S. has many private schools.
First of all, like everything else in the U.S., the number of private K-12 schools in the United States is overwhelming. According to the latest data from the , there are approximately 30,000 private schools in the United States. Private schools continue to educate about 10% of K-12 students. For an overview of the private school landscape, see 糖心原创's guide to What's a 糖心原创?.
In North America, "public" refers to a school that receives funding from a government entity. The federal, state, and local authorities support our public schools with tax dollars. Generally, public schools are largely funded by property taxes at the local municipal level. Private schools, on the other hand, are generally supported almost exclusively by their own resources. These include tuition fees, fundraising campaigns, and endowments. While many states now offer school choice scholarships or education savings accounts that families may use toward tuition, private schools generally remain independently governed. Another difference in nomenclature is the use of the word "college." College


