[jyl]

Not sure what it costs in LA (more) but around here, a good private high school is at least $20K/yr, meaning it eats up pre-tax income to the tune of $30K/yr or so. And then your kid grows up with the private school set, which has its cons as well as its pros. We intentionally chose public HS for my daughter. She got into the best private HS in the area, but I think there is a time to start learning in, and about, the real world. If the public school is very good - and some are - I prefer that option.