"This is why my children never have, and never will, attend public school"
Just curious - what do you do about educating your kids when they are high school age?
(I've noticed private high schools are few and far between and usually very expensive and I would guess that most parents aren't able to homeschool all of the advanced high school subjects., ie., I could homeschool physics, chemistry, and calculus - but never English composition or literature! So, options are limited for the upper grades until we get public education fixed. And our economy will go under if it is not fixed, so we can't just ignore it. But I digress.....)
I have successfully home schooled two kids through high school and I have only a high school diploma. I'm getting ready to start kid #3 this fall. It's a lot of fun!
My oldest took the ACT and got a very respectable 32. The second oldest went into the military so didn't take any placement tests.
A lot of homeschool curricula are geared towards independent learning and minimal teacher instruction. If you are even passable at a lot of subjects, taking a high-schooler through homeschooling is not difficult.
In Pennsylvania, where I live, there are several excellent cyber schools which are funded by the state and use good curriculum like Clavert, Saxon, K12, etc. You are homeschooling but they are also technically enrolled in a public charter school (the state gets the federal money, you get free computer, materials and access to teachers, and school gets to operate). THis can be an alternative to public school. Check and see what charter/cyber schools your state offers
Private schools are expensive but so is the loss of your child's soul. Where there is a will, there is a way, THERE REALLY IS!!!!!
There's an interesting vanity here: High School Equivalency Exam... There's a growing number of folks who think high school is a waste of time... While I don't know if we'll skip high school, by the time our children go through 8th grade, they'll have a better education than those who graduate from today's public high schools.
Carter schools, they are free, smaller, and generally DO NOT follow the public curriculum
Options are not limited for the upper grades. By the time high school rolls around, many homeschoolers are taking courses at their local community colleges. Also, "hybrid" or "cottage" schools are appearing. Classes are taught by people who have an interest in the particular subject and can teach it. Homeschoolers choose the class or classes they want to take.
Of course, internet classes are popular too.
You can get a good education without ever stepping foot into a private or public school today.