The Ultimate Guide to the Different Types of Schooling for Kids

If you’ve been looking for a school option for your growing child, then this list will be the ultimate guide for you. We’ve gathered the 13 different types of schooling that exist in the USA school system. Take a look at the standards and decide what’s best for you and your child.

Public Schooling

Traditional Public School

Public schooling is the most common type of schooling in the USA. The schools are operated by federal government funds and overseen by school boards. Traditional public schools will abide by certain standards and often show they are meeting those standards via standardized testing.

Charter School

This school is a mix between a public and a private school. They are free; however, parents have to submit a separate application to enroll in this type of schooling. They can make more decisions about what to teach and focus on in comparison to public schools. Often, the freedom is translated into pressure to perform in their specified field. 

Magnet School

These free public schools specialize in certain areas like the sciences or arts. They are operated by a district and enroll students using a random lottery. They are highly competitive and promote higher-level cognitive and social learning.

Public Online School

More public schools are opening online options for students. Like home schools, these take place at home. They offer flexibility and freedom for students to learn at their pace. There are major differences per program, so it is vital to track what you are getting into.

Private Schooling

Traditional Private School

The government does not fund these schools. Rather tuition, paid by the parent and ensures that the school is running. They have the freedom to deviate from the national curriculum and focus on whatever they wish. 

Boarding School

A boarding school offers both food and lodging to its child. However, they also have a thriving community of scholars, athletes, and artists. Most schools require students to live on campus for the whole school year. They offer deeper relationships, extra-curricular activities, and many extras other schools can’t. 

Language Immersion School

These types of schools teach in a second language for the students. In general, these are designed for a student whose first language is English but wants to be fluent in another language. In these schools, almost all of the classes are taught in the second language but can be supplemented by English when the need arises.

Special Education Schools 

These types of school are designed for children with mental or physical limitations that are keeping them from succeeding in other types of schooling. They are better equipped to deal with special needs children, their limitations, and their needs. Often, they will have extra counselors, nurses, and advisors that are informed of the specific limitations and needs of each child. 

Parochial School

The first in specifically religious schooling, these schools get most of their funding from a local church. As such, they are often partnered with the church and cheaper than traditional religious churches. Their education is much like a traditional private school; however, they often have a religion class or chappel time.

Religious School

These are simply private schools that have a religious background. Tuition will still be paid completely by the parent. They often have uniforms that must be paid for outside of tuition. These schools have more control over their religion classes than the parochial schools due because of their independence. 

Non-Traditional Schooling

Montessori

Montessori schooling honors each child’s interests. While the curriculum is well rounded, it also emphasizes hands-on learning and subjects that the child has taken an interest in. It’s a structure that teaches children independence and advanced thinking from a young age.

Waldorf

All Waldorf Schools in the US are nonprofits, and that is, and that’s a defining characteristic of the school. Within the school, emotional and imaginative learning comes first. The educational curriculum does not come into play until seven years of age. This slow and steady approach has proven successful, with 94% of graduates going to college compared to 66% of graduates outside of the movement.

Theories

Reggio Emilia

Not exactly a whole schooling type, the Reggio Emilia schooling type focuses on the ways that a child learns. Founder, Reggio Emilia, famously said, “The child has a hundred languages.” As such, teachers document each student’s learning moments, emotions, and expressions so that they can best teach and help each child grow.
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