Do rankings really have meaning?
Private school ranking or rating is (and certainly ought to be) a controversial matter. Parents looking for an easy list of best private schools should know that there is no better way to find out what is best for your child than to visit the schools - with your child - and come up with your own ranking of the best private schools for your family.
That being said, private school ranking lists can offer you a good place to start. We do offer our own private school search here at ourkids.net but we shy away from ranking schools. There are some interesting sources for ranking private schools in the US, including prepreview.com's use of placement rank. However, the most reliable sources such as ourkids.net and Peterson's disclaim the notion of private school ranking.
Canadian private school ratings
In terms of Canadian private school ratings or rankings, there are annual report cards offered by the Fraser Institute. The Fraser Institute's rankings of schools in Canada routinely demonstrate that private schools are doing a better job of educating children than are the public schools. You can learn more about these school rankings by going to fraserinstitute.org.
Let's say it once more, though: school rankings are rightly controversial, and rankings like those provided by the Fraser Institute are no different. Advocates of public education routinely criticize them, for example, because they ignore the fact that public schools are legally obligated to retain failing or troubled students.
You will find no ranking of private schools, here at Our Kids. We merely provide you with an easy facility to find private schools from across Canada. We encourage you to go and check out the schools yourself (attend a private school expo!) This way, you can decide for yourself which particular private school is right for your child.
