The first day of my English 458 class, we were instructed to pick out a topic that we found “interesting” and full of “culture”. Instantly, the idea of private schools came to mind. This unconscious decision, now that I look back on it, probably stemmed from my obsession with the TV show Gossip Girl. I stuck with this idea, however, because I felt that everyone has been exposed to at least a few opinions on the topic. If you still feel like you don’t know what I’m talking about, look no further than Twitter, where Rob Delaney, a well-known Twitter user and United Kingdom actor, tweeted that he’d “throw (his) kids into a lake before sending them to a private school“.

Thanks to social media posts like the one mentioned above, I had some negative expectations prior to my first visit at the private Catholic middle school I chose to observe at. On top of that, born and raised into a Catholic family, I had some pre-conceived notions of what to expect from the Catholic institution. I was guessing there would be a chapel of some sort, a few Catholic posters plastered on the walls, ugly private school uniforms, and rule-abiding, brainwashed, Catholic-robot children (harsh, but my thoughts exactly).

So, I set out to explore a cultural wonderland: the elusive private school. My findings left me pleasantly surprised.

1. The teachers get paid a lot less than public school teachers.

In fact, they get paid $14,000 less than public school teachers according to an article posted in The Atlantic.

2. Not all of them are Catholic (or even religious).

The school I did my research at was Catholic, but the teachers weren’t nuns and they didn’t slap the students’ wrists with rulers… *gasp*.

Fun fact: only 19.9% of private schools in the U.S. are Catholic.

3. They don’t necessarily “better prepare” students for the future.

The facts don’t lie: the graduation rate of private schools is just shy of 100%. However, giving private schools all the credit for this is completely wrong. In fact, according to a study that was reported on “Here & Now“, family socioeconomic status is the determiner in how successful a student is, not the school itself.

4. The dress code isn’t always overly-strict.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard some horror stories about how bad the dress code can be at some private schools. I’ve also heard that a few don’t even have a dress code. The school I observed at did, but it wasn’t anything extreme. Khakis and red polos were all that was expected. However, the principal informed me that they had many “casual Fridays” and dress up days where their uniforms weren’t required.

5. They don’t recruit students.

In fact, that’s illegal to do.

6. The students and staff are no different than those of public schools.

After submerging myself into the “private school cultural abyss”, my view on the topic was completely re-shaped. The students aren’t little Catholic-robots (they’re the exact opposite, actually). The faculty reminded me a lot of the faculty from the public school I went to growing up; friendly, welcoming, and encouraging. The only real difference between the two is whether the facility is supported by tuition/fundraising or the state.