Yes, a lot depends on which state one's in. For instance, Hawaii public schools are among some of the worst in the nation (Cali, L.A. specifically, isn't far behind). Meanwhile, I've heard New York has some of the best public schools in the country.

Also, I wouldn't rule out some of the honors programs within the public schools. There are a few honors programs in L.A. Unified that rival the curriculum taught at some of the top-notch private schools.

$30K free tuition is definitely a good incentive. USC does that with its professors. Pete Carroll put his kids through USC for free.

Private schools have their riff-raff. I know because I was that riff-raff, at least for a couple years. My five yung'uns are in private school/homeschool and I could not be more pleased.

My Daughter goes to the local private Catholic school, acknowledged as one of the best schools in the DC area.

She rolls, won the Maryland FBLA title for our state, etc. Her focus is amazing, tailored to what the school offers.

My Son goes to the local public HS because he wanted to run and his school is one of the best in Maryland: excellent academics as well, mostly due to the flight test center at Patuxent River. The number of engineers and educated folks in this area is astounding compared to the national average.

He rolls, great grades, second varsity letter as a soph.

I supported both their decisions. My point is, listen to what they want and need. There is no one best thing, no educational silver bullet.

BTW, the Catholic grade school here sucks.

My kids have always attended private Christian school. I wouldn't change a thing about it.

That being said, I can only agree with every post here too; so it goes without say that you get out of life what you put into it. I'm proud that I invested in my kids, I'm extremely happy with the way they've turned out; their happiness has and will provide me with so much joy.

The peer pressure at their school is to do good. Yes, there's the bad apples in every barrell. My wife is prolly the biggest volunteer at the kids school too; we're very involved with their lives. We know all of their friends and all their friends parents, very often they're the same.

No greater joy can come from loving your family!

A couple of my life quotes....
1. The best thing a father could ever do for his children is...... to love their mother.
2. The best thing a father could teach his children is...... how to fail.

I've recently added this one.....
3. A parent can always be proud of his child if they are happy. (true)

Good luck raising a happy child there bud.
Sounds to me like you've already made up your mind, so go for it and make the best of it.
Cheers,

Do you have kids?

There's way more to it than what you posted.
Private schools have better test scores because if a parent is paying for the school, he or she is much more likely to take an active part in the education.
Plus trouble-makers and bad students get kicked out before they can become a distraction.
Parents who send their kids to private school tend to be more successful, prolly because they have better work ethics and less "baggage". That gets passed onto the kids. Parents of kids in private schools participate in their kids education, instead of sitting on the porch with a 40 ouncer.

My kids go to private school and their education is head and shoulders above what they would get at the local immigration centers, uh I mean public schools.

Lutheran high school of Orange is very expensive but has a graduation rate very close 100%, and over 90% of all graduates go on to attend a 4 year university. The public schools around here can't even come close to that.

Would you rather have a kid in a classroom full of motivated, good students or a classroom half-full of slackers, screw-ups, or kids that can barely speak English?

My son has been ranked in the top 1% in the nation on his yearly skills and aptitude test, 5 years in a row. He's never gotten a grade below an A-.
He may be skipping high school and going straight to Cal Tech.

My daughter also gets very good grades, stays out of trouble, and is very active and successful in sports. She hangs around with other good kids, as opposed to some of the trash I see walking to or from the public schools.
There's not much that is more sickening that seeing 12 year olds smoking.
It's worth the $12,500 a year.

I think it really comes down to where you live. My public high school had graduation stats very similar to your private school. In most of my classes, I was the goofball/troublemaker and never actual got in any trouble (although I was always in gifted/honors classes so that is probably not the best representation of students).

Why would you want to send a 14 year old to school with 18+ young adults. I think that would be crippling to his social development. You learn a hell of a lot more in high school about social aspects of life then you do from a textbook.

My parents, especially my dad, wanted me to go to the private catholic military high school in my area. I told them no, as there was no way I was going to an all-guys school. I think I'm turning out alright. YMMV

If we lived in the Northeast, our kiddos would go to one of these....

Choate Rosemary Hall, CT:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1260482357.jpg



St. Georges, RI:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1260482390.jpg

Tabor, MA:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1260482449.jpg


Trinity Pawling, NY:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1260482511.gif


I knew kids from all these schools and all got an A1 education compared to public schools. I will try to convince ours to go to Cistrecian Abby here in Irving but I do not think they will bite...


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1260482609.jpg

It's all about where you live and your public and private options. Where I live the public schools are not very good so we went private. It is a financial struggle sometimes...but worth it.
Also, never add up the total cost over the 14+ years. That number is scary...

"Barack Obama’s Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings founded the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Recently he was appointed by the Obama administration to run the Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools in the US Department of Education. In 2007 Kevin Jennings was paid $273,573.96 as the executive director of GLSEN.

In 2000 GLSEN held a conference that was not so much about tolerance as it was about teaching children about sex. In this clip GLSEN activists promote “fisting” to 14 year olds.

This conference was fully supported by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Safe Schools Program, the Governor’s Commission on Gay & Lesbian Youth, and some of the presenters even received federal money."

No matter where, for reasons like these I could not send my kids to public school.

Gateway Pundit

David, that was as poor a representation of what may have gone on there as a nut could dream of.

Go learn what your public school teaches before you believe the tripe from the gateway pundit.

I have never heard of Gateway Pundit before, but the basic fact about the story are apparently true.

I think it is also true that many public school districts stay away from this stuff - but there are things they are forced by our state to teach that would have made my WWII Sailor- father blush if he had ever heard about them.

What for instance?

Totally depends on the specifics. There are poor public school and great private ones. And vice versa. Making a blanket statement on either isn't really possible.

My son goes to public school, and I would put it up against any private school around. There also are private high schools in Los Angeles that I would *never* even consider for a variety of reasons.

Find out about the schools in question and make an informed decision. I've seen schools a few miles apart that are night-and-day different wrt quality.

I honestly don't even know where to start...

"Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Sunday making May 22 "Harvey Milk Day" in California. The Golden State will set aside that day to honor the state's first openly gay politician elected to office. California public school teachers will be asked to offer lessons that remember the life of Harvey Milk by recognizing his accomplishments while familiarizing students with his contributions (homosexual activism) to California. Likely, your children will participate in these lessons without your permission as State Bill 572 had no provision for parental consent."

Harvey Milk Day: Homosexual education and indoctrination of your children

tears at graduation time at many local HS in SA
every year..
seems Joe,Veronica,Jose cannot attend graduation..
they cannot pass the exit exam..1+1=?? for many..
Parents howl..they went..what more do you want..

we want pics..Cap and Gown...

Rika

"Much like Mao-Tse Tung and Adolf Hitler without "pistols to the head" and concentration camps, public schools are America's new "kinder and gentler" indoctrination centers for modifying morality and shaping progressive thought."

That is some funny stuff right there.

Well, actually it isn't funny. More's the pity...

I agree, some public schools are better than others.

Why would I send a 14 or 15 year old to a major university?
Because he is already bored shootless with his school work, even though he's been moved up a grade. Most of his time in the classroom is spent tutoring the other students.

Yes you can learn social interaction in high school, both good and bad. Great way to be ordinary and fit in if you are ordinary. If a kid is extreme in his intellect other kids in high school don't usually treat him kindly. I don't think that would be a positive experience in any way, shape or form.
no, ordinary is not in his destiny.

If a kid has extraordinary god-given talents, the right thing to do is to allow them to develop. To encourage his interests and development.
plus the last time I checked, high schools don't have very good astrophysics programs.

That perv also wrote a book, In it he described his years of drug abuse and perverted sexual acts. He also described a time when a young student (under the age of 18) confided in him that he had been seduced by an older male.
Jennings advice? It's ok, don't say anything about it.

Sammy, how much do you know about undergrad life at Caltech?

Personally, I wouldn't send my son there for a BS, and I hesitate to recommend it except for very specific types of kids. And no way in hell I'd put a 14 year old on that campus...