Dollars and scholars
Is a costly private education worth it? Susan Edmunds looks at the arguments for and against.
Mother-of-three Hannah is weighing up the school options for her children.
She is reluctant to send her daughter to the local single-sex girls’ school. Instead, it’s likely she’ll opt for a private option that costs $6500 a year, plus other fees.
‘‘Our local high school is not ideal for the boys or [my daughter]. Our boys will be going to the Catholic high school but we prefer a private school for her as we think, academically, and in terms of opportunities, that would be better for her,’’ said Hannah, who doesn’t want her surname used.
‘‘For me, it’s just about quality. We have one chance to get their education right and for them to enjoy it as well. If the kids are happy and getting good results, possibly excelling because of where they are, then it’s worth every dollar.’’
Fiona, meanwhile, is finished with the school system but says sending her daughter to St Cuthbert’s for her last year was a good choice.
There was nothing in their hometown at the time that would have made a difference to her educational outcome, she said.
‘‘If she had stayed [where she was] she likely wouldn’t have got into tertiary education but because she went to St Cuthbert’s, she had enough focus and managed to get in.’’
If you’re wondering where to send your kids to school, you might have considered whether private school is a good option.
Let’s look at the pros and cons.
For
There are about 30,000 kids enrolled in the 4 per cent of completely private schools across the country. That number does not include state-integrated options (most Catholic schools fit into this category).
OECD research shows a ‘‘private school advantage’’ in its programme for international student assessment (PISA), including in New Zealand.
Across the OECD, PISA reading scores were 30 points higher for private school students than for those in public schools.
In New Zealand, the difference was more than 50 points.
That’s partly because of the types of kids who are sent to private schools.
‘‘Schools that attract advantaged students are also more likely to attract better-performing students as well as greater resources,’’ the research said.
‘‘In fact, in most school systems, private schools have a more advantaged student population, more material resources, fewer teacher shortages and better disciplinary climates than the public schools in those systems.’’
Just looking at the numbers, private schools do seem to deliver more ‘‘achievers’’.
Across the Auckland region 68.2 per cent of all female school leavers and 56.4 per cent of all male school leavers leavers finished with NCEA level three or above.
At King’s College, 94 per cent of female students and 87 per cent of males achieved level 3 NCEA in 2016. At Diocesan, 97 per cent had level three.
Canterbury has a level three rate for school leavers of 64 per cent for females and 47 per cent for males but St Andrew’s College records 88.5 per cent and 91 per cent respectively.
If the school you’re in zone for doesn’t appeal, sending your kids to a private school might be cheaper than shifting to a more desirable zone.
Data from Homes.co.nz showed houses in the Epsom Girls’ Grammar school zone had a price premium of 90 per cent in 2017.
Imagine you spent $1.7 million on a typical Epsom property. That’s $7950 a month in mortgage repayments if you borrowed 80 per cent of the price with a 5 per cent interest rate, compared to $4209 if you bought a $900,000 property in another part of Auckland.
Each year, you’d spend about twice the cost of a private school’s fees on servicing the extra mortgage to be in the exclusive state school zone.
You might get a wider range subject choices in private schools, too. There were almost as many private school students studying Korean last year as in state schools – although the private school population is a fraction of the public school pool.
The schools are also usually well resourced and can offer access to
experiences that many public schools cannot. Selwyn House, for example, has its own indoor swimming pool, art space with kiln, robotics lab and dance studio.
Note this from the King’s College ERO review: ‘‘The college is very well resourced and maintained. High-quality facilities strongly promote academic learning and students’ involvement and achievement in the arts, sport and cultural events.’’
If you could afford it, why wouldn’t you want to offer your kids some of that?
Against
On the other hand, New Zealand has a solid state education system, and perhaps parents should do their bit to support it, not go outside it.
It’s a lot cheaper, for one thing. Truly private schools are independent of all government subsidies and have to cover their costs through student fees.
King’s College, for example, charges about $25,000 in tuition fees alone. St Andrew’s College charges $21,900 for its senior classes.
There are boarding fees on top of that, if you are coming from out of town.
Why would you spend all that money on paying for school for your child, when you could opt for
the state school down the road – and spend the money instead on an educational overseas holiday or other extracurricular activities?
This is an especially easy argument for people who live in a top school zone, anyway.
Carol Mutch, head of school in critical studies in education at the University of Auckland, said a number of schools were seen as exclusive because they were zoned and in high socioeconomic areas – but they were not private schools.
That includes schools such as Epsom Girls’ Grammar and Auckland Grammar.
That same OECD research showed that students in public schools in a similar socioeconomic context as private schools did equally well.
After accounting for student background characteristics, school autonomy and school competition for students, New Zealand’s reading difference was zero.
‘‘It really shows that the support and resources a child has at home are a key factor in their educational success,’’ Mark Potter, school principal representative on the NZEI Te Riu Roa national executive, said.
‘‘That’s why NZEI Te Riu Roa is so committed to reducing child poverty and its effects.
‘‘The more support the Government gives to families and schools in disadvantaged areas, the more those children will succeed in school and beyond.’’
At Auckland Grammar, more than 82 per cent of students leave with NCEA level three – 25 percentage points more than the regional average. At Westlake Girls’ High, 82 per cent hit the mark and at Wellington College, 83 per cent achieve it.
Some state schools also offer qualifications such as Cambridge exams and the Baccalaureate, which private schools promote. If they take a lot of fee-paying international students, they may also have the funding to provide resources of the sort that private schools boast.
At the other end of the spectrum, lower-decile schools usually get more funding, which can allow them to have smaller classes and more teachers.
While 2017’s Prime Minister’s Award (awarded in May, 2018) went to a student from private Scots College, nine of the 11 Premier Scholarship Award winners that year were from state or integrated schools.
Not every private school will be a good fit for each child. One mother, who did not want to be identified, said she opted out of private school for her son because it put a heavy focus on academic excellence – and he was more of a creative who would not fit well in a rigid learning environment.
Mutch said New Zealanders had a lot of options within the state system: single-sex, co-educational, kura kaupapa Maori, or schools promoting Christian values.
‘‘Or if you think the private school offers something special, you can do that. I’m not for or against, we are lucky to have a range of choices.’’