Money, height, presents, drinks, food, the theme is always the same, the bigger the better. This carries on to almost everything including schools. Bigger schools provide more class opportunities to students, more opportunities to meet new people, and better facilities.

Finding great classes that match a person’s interests are a huge part of the high school experience, and in my opinion smaller schools don’t give enough satisfactory options when it comes to finding something for everyone compared to larger schools.

For example, Amherst High School has 152 class options for 9-12th graders compared to Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH), a bigger school only 20 minutes away, which offers 272 classes for 9-12th grade.

A total of 152 options for classes is still on the higher end for a school as small as Amherst, yet it still doesn’t compare to SPASH which almost doubles the amount of classes offered. Greatschools.org states, “A wide variety of classes and activities make it possible for students to find their niche.” This helps to understand just how important more activities and groups are for children trying to find something that suits them. 

A lot of people will agree, meeting new people can be really hard especially when you only have a small amount of people to relate to. This is where having a lot more people that can match your interests can be huge. Amherst High School has 1230 students in all of k-12, whereas SPASH has 1,458 students in 10-12th grades alone! The difference here is insane, and it really helps to show just how many different people there are to connect with. 

One other very big issue with smaller schools is the facilities they offer. Larger schools almost always have superior facilities compared to smaller schools.

A quote from ilsr.org states, “State and local policymakers often prefer large schools, because they are less expensive to operate on an annual per pupil basis.” Summed up, this means that bigger schools get better funding because the cost is cheaper based on the amount of students enrolled. Usually, more funding means better facilities, and smaller schools don’t always get the same funding as bigger schools. 

With this, many people believe that it is way cheaper to enroll their kids in smaller schools, but some statistics show that isn’t always the case. Erstrategies.org states, “To pay a principal a $122,000 annual salary, a small school with 400 students would spend $305 per pupil, while a large school of 1000 would spend only $122 per pupil.” This means that bigger schools can charge students way less compared to smaller schools, which disproves some claims about pricing problems.

So, if you’re a parent who wants to better their kid’s life or a student who wants a great school experience it is necessary to attend the right school. Class opportunities, more people, and better facilities are just some of the many benefits from bigger schools. Before making a decision always remember, bigger just might be better.