We send our boys to the local PS because they have fun there with their friends.
Maybe our neighborhood is full of malcontents, but there are people complaining that the kids are pushed to hard, people who complain that there isn't enough creativity in the curriculum, people who complain about too much testing, basically most people are complaining about something and we are among the top 3 schools in our very large district.
I've found that there is a large proportion of parents who smile and nod sympathetically with all 3 groups. I've tried to emulate them.
I also think HK is right, if you make subtle statements about things you think might be missing, you will find kindred spirits.
My DH and I feel that this PS is good enough that it's worth saving the 20K it would cost us to get into a rigorous private school We are still in elementary and will re-evaluate when we hit MS.
Personally, I'd be happy to homeschool but the kids love their friends. Being an introvert myself, I'm not sure I'd come up with enough social opportunities for them. As it is we do a lot of science experiments after school, and my older DS is a voracious reader. Younger DS loves to play board games.
We make the best of it.
