Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Cost isn't the only factor.
It depends upon the agenda of the local public schools as well as the agenda of the private school. Unfortunately many schools today have infused education with a social agenda that usurps much of the students time and have become a political football rather than a place where students can learn the basics. In my opinion, it's one of the reasons why we have a generation that is often unable to do the basics; spelling, math, grammar and science. It's also one of the reasons why critical thinking skills and the ability to reason out a problem are so often in short supply.
There is also a lack of quality parenting in far too many families.
In this day and age, I would seriously consider any school that puts nonsense agendas aside and focuses on real learning. In many areas, that would also bring home schooling into the mix as a valid choice.
This 100%.
It really depends on the school, the agenda, and what they believe is important. My ex taught math at a private school here in CT. One alarming thing she mentioned was about the political games the school would play with the parents. Since the parents were usually paying good money, they thought their kids should be doing well in school, regardless of the student's work ethic and effort put into classes. If the kid wasn't doing well, the parents would pull them from the school and bring them somewhere else. She said that many of the teachers had alternate lesson plans for kids who "needed to pass" in order to keep the well paying parents happy. Many of those kids weren't as prepared for college once they graduated. Obviously not all private schools are like that, but I could see how that type of agenda might be on the table.
I went to public school, and my parents moved to our town because of the school system. The school system is still pretty good now, but it has fallen a few notches since. Luckily we had an option to go with the in-town high school, or the one in the next town over for agriculture (FFA) which had a better rating. I ended up going there, and got involved in many leadership activities. It also exposed me to a much larger group (360 vs. 100 kid graduating class) so that definitely helped prepare me for the college lecture hall environment.