I attended public schools grades 1 through 8. I hated it, and the thought of the high school actually terrified me. I insisted I was NOT going there, and I attended a private all girls high school. My parents weren't thrilled with the cost, natch, but I was a good student and they listened to me. I knew which school I wanted to attend, and that was the only one I applied for. It was great for me.

I LOVED having a uniform and not worrying about what to wear each night (I would get my school clothes ready the night before.)

My brother really didn't give it much thought. My parents arranged for him to attend a private high school too. An all boys school. It didn't seem to make much difference for him one way or the other. He didn't have much preference, or interest in the matter, so my parents put in applications for him at several. That school didn't wear uniforms, just dark slacks, white shirt, tie. He did well in school all the way through, also. But he had no cares where he went to high school, and I have always wondered if maybe he should have stayed at the public school.

I have a local friend who home schools all her children. She works part time afternoons, 12:30 to 6 PM. She spends the morning with them, taking them places. She figures she spends half of what she would spend on a private school tuition, and they get to go to lots of places they might not otherwise. They go in to the local public schools twice per year for the national testing, and they are always the high scorers for their grades. The 2 oldest (she has 5 children) are now in Ivy League colleges.