Our school is a small school. While some might argue that there are smaller schools, the real debate is whether or not attending a small school provides an advantage or disadvantage.

An advantage of attending a small school is that students learn how to form personal relationships with teachers and administrators throughout their high school years, a skill that few students from larger schools get the opportunity to learn. Forming relationships with superiors is an excellent skill to take to college and even to the real world, as it will help with overall communication that may lead to better grades or large promotions.

Students at small schools have the advantage of not having to experience the array of hierarchies that seem to plague bigger schools. The truth is, at small schools, there aren’t enough students for there to be very many cliques. And even if there were, the groups would probably intermingle often, just for a chance to talk to different people. The social community of a small school is ideal for someone who isn’t sure what their “group” might be.

While smaller schools may not provide the vast array of extracurriculars that a large school does, it is easier for students to participate in multiple extracurriculars at once. In larger schools students are usually forced to limit their choices of activities.

The main disadvantage when it comes to a small school would be class rankings. As senior year progresses, and students apply for scholarships, they realize class rankings can be a very difficult thing to overcome. In a graduating class of 30 people, making top 10 percent would mean being one of the top three in the class.

Class rankings aside, however, attending a small school has many more advantages than disadvantages.