Graduation weekend has been a blast. You have enjoyed the time with both family and friends. As you look back through all of the photos that you took over the weekend, though, you realize that the ones you treasure the most are the images of your daughter and her former elementary school friends. Not going to your neighborhood school, both of your girls love the days that they spent attending the Montessori classrooms that were a 10 minute drive from your home. The combination of the mixed age classrooms and the follow child educational philosophy were a perfect fit.

What was also perfect was the fact that you met a group of children and their families who were quite a bit more diverse than the people who live right around the house where you live. Many of these elementary friends were in classes together from preschool though eight grade. And while very few of them ended up in high school together, these friends have always had a special connection.

The Best Private Elementary Schools Provide More Than Academics

In a time when so many of us have online and social media friends that we follow and like, we are also in a time many of us long for deeper, longer lasting connections. For high school graduates, it is common to see shifting groups of friends do everything within their power to stay in touch with each other. And while older generations may not understand the attraction of all of the social media options, the reality is that today’s generation of graduations are likely more connected to their friends than ever before. They are able to not only keep up with the happenings of the day and the plans for the future, they are also easily able to revisit the memories of their elementary school days, even when these students may no longer attend the same school.

One of the signs of the best private elementary schools, in fact, are the communities that they are able to build and the sense of family that they are able to foster. From day schools where children continue to learn throughout the summer to the many schools that have served generations of the same families, there is often a bond that is established in elementary school that cannot be broken.

There are many ways that you can measure the success of a school and it is true that nearly 95% of non-parochial private high school graduates go on to four year postsecondary institutions compared with 49% of public school grads. One of the ways that some people measure the lasting effect of a school, however, is not in the classroom accolades, but in the friendships that are formed. For many families, a wide range of advanced placement classes are a great draw, but when that diploma is received many parents also want to know that their student has a strong network of lasting friends.

Although the number may be small in comparison to the entire population of the country, as many as 2.63 million students were enrolled in private elementary schools in 2016 in the U.S. The best private elementary schools lay a firm foundation for the rest of a student’s educational experience. And while only 25% of all U.S. schools are private schools, many of these places produce some of the most successful and high achieving students in the nation. For example, the national average private school SAT score is approximately 1235. This is higher than the national average across all schools, which is 1060.

Although there are many reasons why one school may out perform another, one indicator may be that as many as 24% of public school teachers report that lack of parental involvement is a problem in their school. In comparison, only 3% of private school teachers report this problem. The best parents are in the habit of supporting the educational institutions where they send their children, so it should come as no surprise that the best private elementary schools are filled with families who take education seriously.

Memorial weekend is a time to remember many important individuals, but it is also a time of high school graduations and lasting memories.