American Education: Public VS. Private?

One of the major differences between American and Chinese perceptions of education is the way in which each society views public and private schools. In America, we typically see public schools as underfunded and less structured in comparison to well-funded and prestigious private schools. Even in school districts with renowned public schools, it is not uncommon to have American parents send their child to a private school. Ironically, the situation in China is the reverse. The most notable and well-funded schools are public schools, and these public schools are considered to provide the optimal educational experience to Chinese students.

Cost 

Americans understand that one of the biggest differences between public and private schools is the cost of tuition. Public schools are funded by the property taxes of the surrounding communities. However, when foreign students come to the U.S. and study in public schools, their families must pay for the full cost of their child’s education.

In contrast to public schools, private schools are supported by tuition fees. Due to the increasingly expensive price of tuition, American private schools are accordingly much costlier to attend. Even though an international student will need to pay a higher amount to attend a public school as compared to a student living within the community, it is likely that the price of attending U.S. public school will still be cheaper than that of a private school.

Applying to Public and Private Schools

United States public and private schools’ applications can vary greatly and require different prerequisites of international students. In general, private schools are more competitive and prestigious in nature, therefore, making their applications more rigorous and passing their method of assessing a student more challenging. Contrastingly, American public schools tend to have simpler applications and often accept higher rates of students with a wide variety of skills.

Visa Restrictions

Despite the low cost and ease of application associated with U.S. public schools, an overwhelming majority of international students attend private schools due to a multitude of student visa restrictions. For instance, for international students with an F-1 visa, U.S. public school education is limited to 12 months. In addition, the students’ families must pay the full price of education to the school system. International students attending private institutions do not have to deal with or abide by these restrictions which encourages private school attendance.