Private or public school? (parent, son, students, high school)

[aidxen]

If you had enough money, would you send your child to public (government) school or to a private school & Why.

Me - We have our kids in public school for primary (elementary) and then private high school.

Both schools have uniforms.
Both schools have great teachers.
The private school seems to be better organised.
I think better focus on behaviour although of course I am comparing private high school with public primary and primary age kids tend to be better behaved anyway.

[Hopes]

We've done both public and private.

I'll vote for private but only if there is money for the best schools.

The cheaper private schools, like religous schools, are substandard.

If you can't afford the best private has to offer, you're better of in the public schools.

But I think this all depends on the region.

Pennsylvania has a quality public school system compared to many other states.

[LSU Tiger Z71]

Private high school.. elementary/middle depends on the district. Most likely completely private. However, if I decided not to spend the money or didn't haven't it, I'd move into a district with a good school.

I went to private and my kids will go to private.

[TrappednHades]

I've been to public school my whole life but my younger brother has been to private school and from the stories he told me, they were a lot worse than public school kids.

He told me stories like the kids would cuss( he was 8 when he went), they were foul and just not what he expected and he was a much better kid than they were.

And then you hear all the stories about how private school kids are wild partiers and drinkers and just crazy.

I went to public school for high school and my school was very decent. Its ranked pretty high in the country and there were over 8 million dollars worth of scholarships for the graduation class of 2009.

[MrMom2]

honestly dont see much difference in the quality of the kids or how they act or behave. Seems like an unneeded expence unless its some specialty school that focuses on some talent or disability that those people can help with.

[Nelly Nomad]

I attended independent school from 3rd grade through high school. DH attended public schools. After comparing our experiences, we decided that DS would attend independent school from kindergarten right through high school. He did spend one year in public HS when we moved out of state, so we have experience with both.

While many public schools can often offer more variety than can many independent schools (band, more sports and more foreign languages for example), we've found that the smaller class sizes and individualized attention far offset that. Students, staff, faculty and administration all knew each other, simply because the schools were smaller and more intimate. We also found parental involvement to be more of a given at independents.

In our experience, issues were addressed quickly in independent schools. Students couldn't fly under the radar, so to speak.

If our finances hadn't allowed independent, we would have made sure to move to a good public school district. Homeschooling was never a consideration. Independent was always our first choice and we're pleased that we were able to make it a reality for our son.

[grmngrl8203]

I am originally from Peoria Heights, Il and there the public schools were great. Good teachers, curicculum, etc. When we moved to Stl the public schools in my area are horrible so my son in now going to a private Christian school. Since it is Christian it is cheaper but does have everything we want too.

[TouchOfWhimsy]

Neither; we homeschool.

If I had to put the kids in school, though, I'd visit several different schools... the public school, the magnet school, and a few private schools, before making my decision. I don't think you can lump all public schools together, or all private schools together.

[veuvegirl]

Tour both and get a feel for what you think is right for your child. My kids have been to both, and they each have their own plusses and minuses.

[formercalifornian]

If we continue living in our current community, we will send our kids to public school. If we relocate again, it will depend on the quality of the local district.