We mean independent in the best sense of the word.

These schools have the freedom to serve their distinct individual missions — the philosophy, values, and approach to teaching that are right for your child.

They have the freedom to let passionate teachers create educational experiences that meet your child’s individual needs, without state mandates regarding curriculum, textbooks, and testing.

They have the freedom to select the academic and extracurricular programs they want to offer, and to offer these programs to the students whom they feel most capable of serving well.

Distinct though each one is, independent schools also have a lot in common. They share a commitment to teaching young people academic skills plus the importance of hard work, leadership, personal responsibility, and good citizenship.

Among the characteristics of independent schools:

• They’re independently governed by a board of trustees, as opposed to a public school board.
• They must be fully accredited by an accrediting agency with high standards.
• They may be coeducational or single-sex.
• They may be day schools or boarding schools.
• They are supported by a combination of tuition payments, charitable contributions, and endowment revenue — not public funds.

For a snapshot of the different kinds of K-12 schools, click here.