Los Angeles County is home to about 10 million people, sprawled over roughly 4,100 square miles that stretch from farmland to oceanfront. So it is no surprise that this very diverse population has generated a bevy of private education options, including many for children in elementary school.
Across the county — which includes places like Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Pasadena — there are almost 800 private schools serving more than 140,000 students in the 2021-22 school year, according to the California Department of Education. About 44% of those students are in grades K-5.
If the private schools in Los Angeles Country were spread out equally, there would be one about every five miles.
Priya Nambiar, who spent years in private school admissions before opening her consulting firm, Nambiar Advising, says private elementary schools have much to offer families who are looking for a choice.
“You’re working with people who … don’t have to answer to a superintendent who has to think about millions of kids,” she says. “You’re really working with experts on elementary school, and there are just more resources and more extracurricular activities. Parents have a little bit more of a say.”
Why Private Elementary School?
Education experts point to many reasons why Los Angeles area parents choose to explore private options for elementary school.
In some cases, they are simply looking for a better school than what is offered by their local public district. “There is a draw to the idea that it’s more elite, and kids will be better prepared for intermediate school and high school,” says Akbar Rahel, admissions director at Prep Expert, a company that helps students prepare for standardized tests and high school and college applications. “Early education is just as critical as education in later years. Tons of studies have shown that.”
Many private schools can offer smaller class sizes with more individualized instruction, and additional programs in areas like music and art. Extracurricular activities are also part of the offerings at many private schools, saving parents the need to find activities on their own.
But don’t expect a private elementary school to have a direct impact on your child’s college admissions chances, says Drusilla Blackman, a former dean of undergraduate admissions at Columbia University who now works as an education consultant.
“It’s too young,” she says. “If they are going into a field that is competitive, then it is not going to help as a fifth grader.”
Cost is a Factor
For many families, the major downside to private education is cost. The average tuition for private elementary schools nationwide, including less-expensive Catholic schools, is about $8,700 a year, or about $20,000 for non-sectarian schools, according to the Education Data Initiative.
And in Los Angeles, like in other major cities, tuition can be significantly higher. For example,the well-known Brentwood School costs more than $39,000 a year for grades K-5, according to the school. At the International School of Los Angeles, annual tuition for K-5 is about $22,000.
Of course, financial aid and payment plans that allow parents to spread out their costs are available at many schools. But students attend K-5 elementary schools for six years — longer than high school or college — and experts say that can really strain the budget in some families.
[READ: Exploring Private High Schools in Los Angeles.]
Whether it’s worth it “depends on the family,” Rahel says. “Some parents are extremely busy with their professional lives and they don’t have the time to sit with their kids for two hours a day to read or teach them. But they have the money.”
In other cases, he says, the equation can work in reverse. “If you took a highly educated family that was not overwhelmed with work and they had the time to spend with their kids, it doesn’t really make sense to send them to a more elite elementary school.”
Private Elementary Schools
For parents interested in exploring private elementary schools in Los Angeles, here’s a sample of what’s available:
— Berkeley Hall School serves 260 students in grades PK-8. It has an average class size of 18 and a student-to-teacher ratio of 8-to-1. The school is more than 100 years old and has a 66-acre campus in the Santa Monica Mountains.
— Brentwood School serves about 1,200 K-12 students across two campuses. It has about 280 students in grades K-5. The average class size is 16 and the student-to-teacher ratio is 7-to-1 in grades 1-5. and 3-to-1 in kindergarten.
— The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California, has about 830 K-12 students and an average class size of 13. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12-to-1. Every student in the lower school is issued an iPad.
— The International School of Los Angeles serves about 1,000 PK-12 students across multiple campuses. Students come from 65 different countries and speak 40 different languages, with 46% holding two or more nationalities.
— Kids’ World School serves students in grades K-12, including a transitional kindergarten program and the Cornerstone Academy middle and high school. Kids’ World offers a robust slate of summer programs.
— Mirman School in Los Angeles is a K-8 school for highly gifted students where learning is accelerated by a full grade level. An IQ test is required for admission.
— New Horizon School in Pasadena, California, is a K-8 school with about 190 students. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12-to-1 in grades PK-2 and 16-to-1 in grades three and four. The school teaches Arabic and Islamic studies in all grades.
— Page Academy serves children in grades PK-8, with three campuses in southern California. Founded in 1908, the school is more than 110 years old.
— St. Timothy School, founded in 1958, is a PK-8 Catholic school serving a diverse group of roughly 230 students. The average class size is 23.
— Wildwood School in Los Angeles serves 740 K-12 students across two campuses, including almost 330 students in grades K-5. The middle school and high school have their own campus. The student-to-teacher ratio is 9-to-1 in elementary school.
Searching for a school? Explore our K-12 directory.
More from U.S. News
How to Get Private School Financial Aid
Navigating Private School Interview Questions
Is a ‘Lab School’ Right for Your Child?
Evaluating Private Elementary Schools in Los Angeles originally appeared on usnews.com
