I forgot to mention that my parents moved to my hometown because the public schools there were better than in their own hometown. As a parent, you can choose what school district and what public schools your child will attend by "voting with your feet" - a.k.a. moving. And there are things to look for in researching a town's schools as well, like whether they encourage parental involvement, how long people have been teaching there, etc. It should always be a conscious decision on a parent's part. I went to public school K-12, Paul went to private all but two years around junior high.