Private schools are widely marketed as a better option when compared to public schools, and private school proponents will often point to standardized test scores to substantiate this claim. Today, according to the most recent enrollment data, about 4.7 million students-or 10% of students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12-are enrolled in private schools. The concept gained momentum, and by 1870, nearly 80% of kids aged 5 to 14 were enrolled in public schools. Public schools on a large scale were proposed by Horace Mann in the 1830s. Students were often educated through church-sponsored programs, private tutoring, and boarding schools.
Private schools, in some form, existed long before the concept of free public education in America.
