You may already have your opinions on private and public schools and it probably depends on where you went and how it worked out for you.

    The answer to the question "Where should I send my child is an easy one to answer.  Here is the simple answer.  It depends.

     Ever wonder what all those people paying $30,000 a year for private school are getting that public school kids are not getting.  I would like to break down the differences between private schools and public schools.

Teaching Quality
     Who do you think has better teachers, private or public?  Well, I can tell you that public school teachers make considerably more money than private school teachers.  (I am sure that there are some uberschools that pay their teachers more but for the most part public school teachers make more.) 
     I think there are 2 reasons for this discrpency in pay.  1.  Public (elementary) school teachers are with the kids all day long and teach them all subjects while most private schools  hire specialists to come in and teach subjects like art, computers and language.
     2:  Public school teachers must have a college degree and a teaching credential which requires graduate studies while private schools can (although it might be rare) hire teachers without a college degree.

 The Students

   This is an easy one, the private school students are better for two reasons.  1.  They are pre-screened by the admission process.  This weeds out most problem kids.  2.  Problem kids can be kicked out of private school with very litte effort.  Kicking a kid out of public school can be very difficult. 

 The Campus

    It's pretty difficult to find a public school facility that compares to most private school facilities. 

Test Scores

    Don't be fooled for a second that private schools are better because their kids score higher on exams.  Remember, these kids are prescreened for academic achievement, test scores are not a true reflection of the learning that is happening.

College Entry

College entry is based first and foremost on two factors:  G.P.A. and SAT scores.  It might be easier to achieve a higher G.P.A. in a public school but private schools offer better in house test preparation.  Either way, it's a very good idea to invest in SAT prep courses. 

 I think that the real question is "Which environment will prepare my child, not for college, but for the real world?"  They are not going to be students forever but they will be citizens for the rest of their lives.