We homeschool... but I would only send my son to public school again in a dire emergency. There are 2 private schools, locally however, that I WOULD send him to. Here's what they have that the public schools don't:
- a decent curriculum
- art
- music
- science
- foreign languages
- field trips
- sports
- clubs
- recess time
- small class size / teacher student ratio
- materials & supplies
- involved parents
- good food
- great play structures
- gifted programs
- special needs programs
- fully stocked library
But wait, you may say... don't the public schools have that? Well... I won't even TOUCH the curriculum which is, quite frankly, pathetic and I could go on for ages but suffice to say if 3rd grade public = prek in private there are MAJOR issues.
- art... 1 week per YEAR (4 hours total) v ARTS! every. single. week. (drawing/painting/ceramics/drama/ computer/ photography/ film)
- music... music got cancelled in our schools, v 3x per week in private
- science... also cancelled (sci teachers sacked) v fully stocked labs & scie teacher
- foreign languages 0 v choice of 4 languages, done daily
- field trips 1 per year (half day, every OTHER year) v 1 (full day) per month
- sports 0 (cancelled) v lots and lots and lots (including ski/snowboard days once a week in winter, and swimming in summer)
- clubs yes/ yes
- recess time 30 min v 1.5 hours (over an 8 hour day for both)
- great play structures ARE at some pub schools, others are rusted to bits and the fields are ankle turners, v the private schools that have great outdoor AND indoor play areas (rainy seattle means you need indoor space)
- small class size / teacher student ratio 1:30+ v 1:12
- materials & supplies public doesn't have them, private does
- involved parents public = the minority, private = the majority
- good food is NOT what is served in our public schools
- gifted programs; 1 hour per WEEK v 8 hours per DAY
- special needs programs 4 hours per week v 8 hours per DAY
- fully stocked library. A lot of the pub librarians have been sacked as well and the 'stock' is limited to a few thousand books, often none as recent as the 90's except what parents have brought in, versus libraries kids can actually learn to RESEARCH in, and use, and check out fiction from that was printed in the last decade and isn't missing half the #s in a series...
Our public schools are "good" because they are low violence, and test in the C range.
Private school vary a LOT... but of the two I would be willing to send my son to... the difference is like a piece of toast for dinner or thanksgiving.
Also... if you've gotten this far: A clear and executed code of conduct. Teachers are *expected* to discipline kids, and those ways and means are outlined. Respect is something that is taught and encourgaed, as are civic duties, humanism, interpersonal relationships, etc. It's not "just teach" and pretend that teachers aren't PARENTING these kids as well. They have them for 8 hours a day from 5 and up. Morality is something that is TAUGHT and outlined as to how it's taught. Versus the roll of the dice with public schools because they aren't "allowed" to teach it, so each teacher wings it according to their own morality. Which puts both teachers and parents in a tight spot because it's a taboo thing to discuss. Versus in most private schools how they go about teaching values, and *what those values are* is VERY clearly defined for both teachers and parents. So when parents are choosing a school, they're able to choose one that lines up with their own moral code.
It should also be noted; I'm not lumping. I went to 10+ public schools myself (military) and some were phenom, and some were highly regrettable. Our local schools are considered "good", but they're in the bottom percentile of schools *I* went to as a child. I'm talking VERY specifically about why I would NOT want to send my son to public school in our area, versus the two private schools I would be willing to send him to. . It's impossible to make a blanket statement about all public, or all private. The above are just MY reasons, for what is available locally. Elsewhere my answer may be extremely different.
It will probably tell you something, as a teacher, when most public teachers in our area send their kids to private school or homeschool. It's not that the schools are bad, it's that they aren't where most people in education want their children educated. The public schools are NOT bad... they're just mediocre, underfunded, understaffed, overcrowded...