Originally Posted by suevv
I know these are strong words, but elitism and entitlement are real and truly problematic in the development of children in our area. Further - they actually pop out in surprising and grievous ways that hurt kids on both sides of the fence. The fact that they hurt to hear is not enough of a reason to pretend they aren't a problem. And in all honesty, I do not see the schools even acknowledging, much less addressing, the issue. There is minimal to no attitude of (for want of a better phrase) noblesse oblige.

Sorry, can't agree with you. I live in the Silicon Valley and send my child to a private school and there is no elitism at all. Instead my DS has met peers for the first time there. There are parents we know who hold 2 jobs so that they could send their child to private schools on their monthly salaries. The parents are a mixed bag (very rich to middle class). But, there is no sense of entitlement and schools focus a lot on character building. And the kids are really hard working from what I see and do not spend time talking about their butlers or their designer backpacks. Parents are focused on academic excellence and a lot of the kids participate in academic competitions and take up music studies, competitive sports etc after school which keeps them very busy. Just my experience from sending my child to a private school as well as attending open houses or shadowing days at every single private school within a 10 mile radius of my home.