Why Sending Your Daughter To A Private All-Girls High School Is One Of The Best Things You Can Do For Her

High school can be a very fragile time in your daughter’s life.  She is entering puberty, finding herself, changing her appearance, and learning to become comfortable with her ever-changing body.  Many girls fall symptom to eating disorders, low self-esteem, and require the constant approval of others around them.  Sending your daughter to an all-girls high school doesn’t ensure that she will be safe from all the drama and hardships of being a teenager, but it will most likely empower her to be strong and work through them with poise and grace.

1. Community

Attending an all-girls high school gives your daughter a strong sense of community.  Private all-girls high schools are often very demanding academically.  This pressure to perform academically provides a support group of like-minded individuals who understands what it means to juggle, AP classes, key club, soccer, girl scouts, and the obligations of a school ambassador.  This understanding and sense of camaraderie also pushes young women work harder and become better.  Private schools also have more capital to fund retreats, convocations, and student bonding experiences.

2. Community Service

Many private schools require a minimum amount of community service each semester.  Although this may be something that your daughter resents doing at first it will give her a greater appreciation for the opportunity that you have given her and hopefully by the end of four years she will have found an organization that she is passionate about.

3. Academics

Unlike public schools, private schools often require your daughter to submit an application. These often have a minimum GPA requirement and minimum scores on entrance exams.  These requirements ensure that your daughter will be surrounded by like-minded individuals who will discuss thought-provoking ideas and lead her to cultivate new ways of thinking.  The rigorous academics will also prepare your daughter for college and put her steps ahead of students who have never written a term paper or done serious academic research.

4. Makeup

Going to an all-girls high school ensures that your daughter will not only not wear makeup but will not feel pressured to and will become comfortable without it.  She will not feel insecure because after the first two weeks of school she will realize that no one wears makeup and it is not needed to perform in school or impress her peers.  In fact, for four years she will not be concerned with impressing her peers and will not be concerned with impressing boys at school because, well, there are no boys at her school.  After four years your daughter will become comfortable in her own skin and realize that makeup is used to accentuate her features rather than hide them.

5. Uniforms

Uniforms are often seen as constricting when in reality they are very freeing.  Much like makeup, clothes are a way in which girls can feel insecure.  However, it’s hard to feel insecure about your clothing when everyone is wearing the same thing.  School becomes less about popularity and who had the newest Free People skirt and more about personality and academics, giving your daughter the ability to be unapologetically her self. 

6. Self-Esteem

An education with uniforms, no makeup, and no boys, takes away a lot of anxiety for your daughter.  With no boys to impress and a greater self-confidence in her natural appearance, your daughter will become more secure with who she is and gain a great sense of self.  With a greater sense of self-esteem she will be more likely to speak her mind in class and will form better relationships with others because she will not be concerned with feeling stupid when voicing her opinion.  

7. Lack of the Male Species

Although your daughter may initially disapprove of the idea of being without boys during the hours of eight and three, she will soon find that it is the best thing that has ever happened to her.  Most all-girls high schools have an all-boys sister school.  To these boys, girls are a rare and precious commodity.  These boys will be more excited than the average male to see her and therefore appreciate her more.  An all-girls school with an all-boys sister school will also give her double the events to go to.  These schools often throw mixers and have boys cheer for the girls sports teams and vice versa.  As an added bonus your daughter will always be asked to her prom because she will be doing the asking.

The one downside to attending a private all-girls high school is often the significant price tag.  However, many private schools offer scholarships and specialized payment programs and work hours for students that need financial aid.  As someone who attended a private all-girls high school, I would not trade this experience for all the money in the world.  This was one of the greatest gifts that my parents could have given me and one that I will be sure to pass on to my own daughter.