I sat through the most beautiful high school graduation this year. It was a small class of 64 young ladies. Reading every graduates’ name with scholarships, awards, achievements, and college name next to it on the commencement program is what made it just perfect. Students, teachers and parents working together ended in 100% graduation and 100% of the class being college bound.
This all girl private high school experience came with a hefty price tag that taught my daughter and I how to penny pinch and pack lunch every day; something neither of us regret. Those three years of strict budgeting were totally worth it for our family.
Thankfully small public schools like Camino Nuevo Charter Academy exist in our communities and their graduation percentages are just as impressive as the those from the small private school that my daughter attended. Camino Nuevo Charter Academy announced Class of 2016 had 99% of graduating Seniors from Dalzell Lance High School and Miramar High School identified as college bound. We send you our congrats from LA Comadre — this is quite an achievement!
It is important for families to continuously assess their child’s education quality, environment and support. While small schools are not for everyone, remember big schools are not either.
My daughter and I gave a traditional high school a try. It was not a good fit, but it was not a bad school. I stepped in to find what we knew would help her succeed when the traditional high school was not meeting her needs. My daughter struggled fitting in at a big school because she wasn’t a star athlete, nor was she identified as a top of the class student. She needed sense of community where she felt she belonged not just came and went. We found this and more at her small school. You have the option to choose what is best for your child, stay vigilant for signs that might be calling for change. My hope is that more small high schools continue to open and thrive so that families have more options for their students who need an environment in which they are more visible and in a position to receive a more personalized educational experience.