A completely different area of the country than has been discussed but I have to advocate for the school my kids attend here in Michigan. It is a private school for the gifted(that gives a lot of financial aid) called Roeper. Its PK-12 and my kids are currently in 2nd and 4th grades so we don't have any experience with the middle or high schools yet. At one point we thought about leaving this area for a job opportunity but one reason we stayed is actually because of the school.
One thing to consider with schools is that different schools are going to be more in line with different parenting philosophies- giftedness aside. Roeper is a a very diverse, liberal place where kids are given a lot of responsibility for their own learning. My kids have had electives as early as kindergarten. We have other private schools in the area that are very academically rigorous but are much more strict than Roeper- uniforms, lots of homework, requirements to participate in sports etc. Many of my friends have their kids at these schools and love them but they also tend to be more regimented than we are here in my family.

Alison