I think this is highly dependent on the child. I attended public school from elementary through high school, but went to a private college. I hated school, but loved college. My son has attended both public and private schools. I don't necessarily believe that private schools offer a better education. The only difference is they push harder and move faster because the parents are paying for their kids to attend.

I put my son in a private school because the public school we were in was horrible. He wasn't learning anything. He was bored, unchallenged, plus he needed help fitting in socially and the school district was unwilling to offer him services based on his academics. I thought putting him in a private school would offer him a better education, with smaller class sizes, and I would see some positive benefits. It was the worst decision I ever made. My ten year old nearly had an emotional breakdown by the end of the year due to the massive amounts of work, the emphasis on written work, the fact that he didn't fit in, and by the end of the year he was so burned out, that I felt guilty for even trying this experiment.

We moved to a different school district, and he is back in public school. He is receiving the help he needed socially. The work is still unchallenging for him, most of it is a repeat of what he learned last year, but he does well. I don't think we need to worry about straight A's in fifth grade. The school has clubs, and he is in a science club that he really enjoys. It is a much better school than the private school I sent him to last year that cost several thousand dollars. It may not be the BEST public school in my area, in fact it is rated as a failing school, but it is a good fit for my son.

Before considering another private school, I'd have to see some reason why the public school system couldn't offer the same thing. My experience is that kids who have learning disabilities, ADHD, Asperger's or other challenges do not do well in private schools. Most private schools look for kids who can do their work without extra motivation, basically, they look for the "good kids." My son doesn't fit that profile. He's better off in a public school that offers him a certain amount of services for his learning disabilities and doesn't push loads of work on him. In private school we were doing at least two hours of homework a night, and often more like four or five. Now, we seldom do more than two. Usually homework is done in about an hour.

The only way I'd put a child like my son back in a private school is if it was a school specifically for kids with learning difficulties. Otherwise, he can continue to attend the local public school, even if it might not be the best school, until college. Then he can decide if he wants to go to a public or private college. I liked my private college experience, but I did end up paying back a lot of loans.