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Probably public school but we don't know where we'll end up in a few years so it depends. And I do really love the Friends school philosophy. I went to public and my husband went to private and for his high school I can see where there were advantages but for most of the private schools around where I grew up I never really understood what the allure was, I felt like private school kids were very naive. But while my high school had a pretty big drug problem (we made national news for all the drug overdose deaths) it did offer a huge variety of classes. If we lived 20 minutes away from where we do now there's no way my kid would be going to public school since there's been gun violence in and near the schools. So I guess it depends on a bunch of stuff but I do prefer them being in public school and around their community and not just the well off.

Private school. DH went to public school and he is adamant that DS goes to private school. I went to private schools (the progressive kind) and had fabulous experiences all the way along so I fully support sending our boy to similar schools. I'd also be open to home schooling, early on.
Don't forget that most private schools offer financial aid and scholarships. The sticker price isn't always the true cost.

I was public schooled and DH was Catholic school until 8th grade and then public high school. We're hoping for a Montessori preschool followed by a private (preferably non-religious, but we'd accept Catholic) school.

We inherited a home and the school district isn't great. I'd prefer not to send her there, although it's not the end of the world if we have to. DH and I both graduated from that district.

no question: Private Muslim school. It's the main reason we chose our location.

I'm sure we'll send to public school. I'm also interested in "unschooling", but only if I can find a community of other unschoolers. No way can we (or will ever be able to) afford private school.

Public School most likely. We live in A Rated school district with lots of homeowners, so the tax base is here to support really good activities and involvement in the schools.

Public for elementary, the K-5 school we are zoned for is the best in the state (big plus in purchasing our home). After that, likely private, unless the middle/high schools around here REALLY improve over the next few years.

We live in Colorado and moved out here from the east coast, our property taxes here are ridiculously low in comparison so we have justified the cost of private school education with all the $$ we are saving annually on property taxes - many thousands per year.

Private school. After working here six years it's about time to cash in on that tuition discount!!! I am a big believer in independent schools, although if I had the choice of an excellent public school I wouldn't rule it out.

@allison: I'm really considering unschooling too! If I didn't have built in montessori, I'd go with that for the foreseeable future. When we get to elementary school, it'll be top of the list of choices, and if it works for my daughter, I think I'll go with it.

I would LOVE to send her to a Classical Christian school near us, but I don't know if we could afford it. One year costs more than one year of college for DH and I combined. In the early years I'm open to homeschooling, hybrid schooling, and possibly some of the elementary schools in our district. It's not until middle school that things will get tough. We may not even be living here then, though!

@Mrs. Jacks: I'd totally do that! I went there as a child and my siblings still go. I even interned there with their school social worker during graduate school so you could say I've worked there? My mom did work there (before leaving to teach at public high school).

Public. I went to public school and turned out great. So did DH and the rest of our families. College is expensive enough. No need to pay for private school when there isn't a big difference in the end results IMO.

We are building a house in an area of Charleston SC with great public schools and that's one reason we pulled the trigger on the new build...Even though it's a higher $ real estate area, we will be saving a lot of money by utilizing the great public school system...

Public! We bought in a town that has a great public school system. It was our #1 criteria in terms of location when house hunting - how highly ranked the schools were.

@mrs. 64: The"high stakes testing culture" is an interesting comment. Do you mean the state proficiency tests? I remember when we first started doing them every other year. I also remember how annoyed the teachers were to lop off an entire 6 weeks of their curriculum to teach to a minimum skills test.

That being said, I moved to Georgia right when they wherein the throes of the teachers/testing/cheating scandal. Honestly, it all sounded like the mafia. Primarily for the fact that the teachers all sounded pressured and scared for their jobs...

Since we're moving to another state, it will be a big factor in what neighborhood we pick. Thankfully one of the public high schools is the best in the state. Private school would depend entirely on the culture/kids/parents that I observe. So much to think about to help this LO navigate though. Junior high and high school are not exactly easy years!

Public, all the way. DH and I both went to public school. We also bought our house in an area with great schools (and pay a TON for them in taxes)