Close to Home or Work Choosing a school that is close to home or work depends on your transportation, and after-school activities or child care needs. Get the information you need about transportation, after school activities and child care available through the school, and select on the basis of convenience, if all other factors in your decision are equal. Transportation Investigate your child's transportation options including taking a school bus, riding in a car pool, having parents drive, or walking or biking to school. Your principal considerations are safety and convenience, with the weather in your region as an added factor. The ideal number of students per classroom is a hotly debated issue across the country.
Schools save money by hiring fewer teachers when they maintain large classes.
Some schools divide their grades or groups into large classes, but provide each teacher with one or more adults to aid in supervision, as nonprofessionals earning a lower wage and generally possessing less formal training. This increases the ratio of adults to children in the classroom and can minimize the disadvantages of large classes. Ask about adult to child ratios in the classrooms and on the playground. The appeal of these offerings depends upon your family's need for them. If your child could benefit from after-school care or programs, consider these important criteria in your choice of a school.