It’s time to start thinking about sending your child to school and you are baffled. You’ve dreaded this day, loving the time you’ve spent with them every day and savoring every moment. But it is finally time to make the oh-so important decision of where to send your child for his or her schooling.

It’s a scary world out there, and making the right decision could be crucial to your child’s future. Exploring the possibilities can be painful and time-consuming, but well worth it. Remember that you need to get all the facts and then bring your concerns to God.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. —James 1:5, KJV

Public School

Public school can be a bit intimidating for a Christian parent. What will they learn from other children, and what kind of habits will they develop? There is very little control over who will attend and what kind of children your kiddo will come in contact with.

On that note, sending a Christian child into the world with the armor or God can be an admirable goal. Your child can be the light in a public school environment. Also, there is a good chance that most of the children in your neighborhood will be attending public school and will develop long-term relationships with each other.  

Another plus is that in public school, the extracurricular activities are bountiful and the opportunities for scholarships are numerous. There is no cost for public school, except for school supplies, as the taxes in your area should support the school and its teachers.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. —Ephesians 6:11, KJV

Private School

Private school is another option. Private schools do charge tuition, although there are often scholarships available for underprivileged children and for academic achievement. The schools will be smaller and the student / teacher ratio should be better than in a public school.

Also, the salary for a teacher in a private school will often be higher than a public school, which could get you a better quality of instruction. That being said, it is not always required for a teacher in a private school to carry a certification. Private schools are a good choice when looking for specific instruction, like religious studies, that will not be offered elsewhere. 

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. —Proverbs 22:6, KJV

Homeschool

Finally, there is homeschooling. Homeschooling would certainly protect your child from unwanted, outside influence. Your child’s education would be highly concentrated with few distractions. There would be no more complaining about your child’s teachers, moaning about abundant workloads or crying about favoritism. Here, your child gets customized one-on-one instruction, where you can teach to your child’s needs and interests.

That being said, sometimes teaching one of your own can be harder than teaching other people’s kiddos. As far as extracurricular activities are concerned, although you may be able to find music teachers and more home schooled children to play sports with, it will not be of the enormity that is available through private or public school. But options for homeschoolers today are exponential compared to what was offered a decade or two ago.

Another consideration is that your child will not be interacting with the neighborhood children at school, but this is not true around the block, at the park or at activities. It is much more likely that the neighborhood children, or most of them anyway, will be attending public school. They will be participating in sports and cheer, singing in choir, playing in band and joining honor societies and student councils together.

So think about your options and pray together on what is the best thing for your family. We are to be in the world, not of the world. We need to bring light into the darkness and blaze the trails for those who are lost. The best way to achieve this goal is different for everyone. There is no right or wrong answer. Just be still and know He is there.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. —Psalms 46:10, KJV