I am a 10 yr teacher, in both public and private CHRISTIAN schools. My children grew up in public schools, as I did. May I share with you my personal experiences, not opinion, that I dealt with in both? Let's look at what they had in common: Both secular and Christian schools had disruptive students. Both had bipolar, mentally challenged students. Both had faculty that let their personal lives drift into their daily work. Both had flag poles with an American flag, and a state flag flying. Both had full carriculums with a broad range of choices to make. Both had sports teams they were proud of. Both had non-CHRISTIAN and Christian parents. Both had uniforms as the normal dresscode. Both had high goals of achievement, at least on the surface. Both follow state weather emergency recommendations. Both have about the same number of illegitimate pregnancies per year. Both have a very low number of virgins for males and females by the time they graduate. Both expect the best from the students, despite the fact that the students sometimes think otherwise.
Now..the differences: Christian schools pay faculty less than half the yearly salary that secular schools do in most cases.
Christian schools do not have medical facilities, school nurses, etc, like secular schools...which means that birth control is NOT provided nor spoken of.
Christian schools encourage and provide BIBLES. Christian schools have DEVOTIONALS. Christian schools allow the idea of a student government, complete with a voted upon president but do not allow students to make final decisions, period. It is optional at a Christian school to have a fully operational lunchroom with a crew. Christian schools do NOT require immunization shots, birth certificates, or proof of residency. A Christian school has gay students but no staff member can make it be known, nor spoken of, although all students know. A public school has gay students, everybody instantly knows, instantly approves and is given special treatment and attention, as well as a staff member. What is said in a CHRISTIAN teachers lounge becomes immediately known to all staff members and school by the end of the day. A secular school's teachers lounge is expected to be a place where a teacher can 'let their hair down" and breath a little, ventilate if needed and what is said there, stays there.
Sadly..I did see that a lot of parents put their children in a Private school because it is their last hope. The public school could not handle them, and the next step would be parochial or military school. I also see most as extremely 'sheltered". In a public school, I was treated equal with everyone else that was employed there. I could rub elbows with everyone and anyone. In CHRISTIAN schools, I was under scrutiny, always being asked to explain myself, and could not be friends with all, just a few select. The staff was more divided and in certain clicks in a CHRISTIAN school. I was actually called to the office as a teacher more than any of the students, to explain and hear petty complaints from staff, parents and grandparents as to why I wore certain colored shirts, ties, clothing, and hair length, listened to certain music, whistled certain tunes, drove certain vehicles, and my vernacular jargons and expressions were not the NORM. I was to be polite and friendly, but no laughing, no joking and certainly no politics or denominational differences discussed. Notes were taken and papers were signed for future references that those complaints were 'ADDRESSED".
Each has it's flaws...each has it's merits....each to their own...when the students leave a private CHRISTIAN school, they have to face the world, one way or the other..to most that graduate from a CHRISTIAN school, it is a complete SHOCK to their intellect. To other students, they were only there as 'punishment" for their continual attitudes at home and in other schools, so they soon returned to the lifestyle they had chosen anyway.