We are fortunate to have the option of school choice in our community. Independent education is a viable option for many families. Private, independent education has been around for a long time. The first formalized, independent school was founded in the United States in 1789. During this time period all education was provided by small, private, independent schools and customized where boys learned core content subjects and girls learned more of the domestic arts.

In the mid-1840s an organized system of public education began to take shape due to a charge led by prominent community leaders wanting a more comprehensive education system for their children – both boys and girls. These community leaders understood how a rigorous academic education was essential to ensuring sustainable growth within the community and wanted a better education for their children. In several documented sources on education, Horace Mann and Henry Barnard are credited with being the architects for the concept of public school funding where children could attend at no cost. Thus, the beginning of public school education, a model which still exists today.

Philanthropist, Stephen Girard, also played a pivotal role during the mid-1700s in re-establishing independent schools to educate children. Many businessmen of the time understood the social and economic implications of a good education in areas of society. They shared a common goal of educating and training young people to be social, community, and scholastic leaders within society. The schools established through the efforts of Stephen Girard are some of the finest examples of independent, educational philanthropy to be found anywhere in the world today.

Private, independent education is still relevant and thriving today. As public education took hold, independent schools revitalized in order to serve a need, not fulfilled in the public sector. Parents who felt they wanted more for their children had options even back in the early days. This concept of school choice has not changed in over four centuries. A parent who desires a particular type of education for their child has a wide variety of options available.

The mission in most private, independent schools is typically to provide a challenging college-preparatory education in a safe family-type environment while also nurturing ethical, spiritual, and physical development of students. Inspiring students to serve beyond themselves in order to foster confident leadership is embodied within the mission as well. Independent schools typically are innovative schools of academic excellence where students receive a personalized, college-preparatory education. A vibrant campus that offers dynamic opportunities empowers students in an independent school to become community leaders committed to living lives of service and integrity.

We are fortunate to have several viable school options within our local community for families who have different needs and desires for their child’s educational experience. Founded in the late-1700s, private, independent education has evolved with society and continues to meet the ever-changing needs of the world today.