I like our neighborhood elementary school, even though neither of my kids learn much of anything there, academically. I think I gave up pretty quickly on the idea that we can rely on schools for our children's education, and I know enough parents who completely agree.

But the school is wonderful in many other ways: dedicated and involved parents who are really very nice and very wise; well behaved and educated kids who take school seriously; lots of cultural and community activities; lots of can-do spirit (many enrichment programs are built and run by parents including academic teams that compete at the national level); a genuine sense of community... The level of classroom instruction is actually quite disappointing to a large number of families, not just limited to the few super smart ones. The reasons include large class size (due to funding shortage), rigid curriculum (district dictated) and of course the fact that most teachers don't really *get* the vast spectrum of abilities.

I enjoy talking with a lot of parents about education in general, educational approaches, other activities... I just don't go into how the academics at school doesn't work for my kids.

Middle school is a different story--the academics still doesn't work and there isn't a feeling of community...

I think the reputation of a "good school" or "good district" doesn't necessarily correlate with strong classroom instructions. It could be due to dedicated families who make sure that their kids develop strong academic skills regardless of what happens in the classroom.