Worth Every Penny: Why Choosing Your Child’s Peers Matters More Than Test Scores

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As someone who really sacrificed to send my kids to private school, I mostly agree with that notion. That makes the expense totally worth it, in my opinion. 

Who your children hang around will make all the difference in their lives. 

This is my son and his three best friends — brothers in every way that matters.  

They met in second and third grade and have been inseparable ever since. They spent countless hours on the lake, played baseball and soccer together, and our families vacationed as one big crew. They graduated middle school and high school together, then headed off to different colleges and career paths, but never drifted apart.  

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Today, they’re standing up for each other in their weddings. They still FaceTime when a week goes by without seeing one another.  My son is a Lieutenant with the Fire Department, one is in medical school, one is a chiropractor, and one is an airline pilot. Their parents and families laid the foundation, but these boys also lifted each other up, pushed each other, and held each other accountable.  They didn’t just grow up together — they grew into good men together.

I fully believe a small private school with teachers who were also Christians help nurture them into fine adults. I fully recommend choosing your children's peers.

I partially agree, but there are plenty of exceptions. Many high-earning people never went to college. The family that services our HVAC system and the family that mows our yard (a large, thriving operation) both make excellent incomes without any college degrees. Skilled trades and entrepreneurship still offer very strong earning potential. They are also very family oriented and raised polite, hard working children. 

Unfortunately, parents who don’t care usually produce students who don’t care. Those kids tend to be disruptive and uninterested in learning. Private schools don’t have to tolerate it. Sometimes, the real value of private school is simply keeping your child away from that environment and that negative example, and it’s often worth the money