I attended smaller colleges (universities) because of where I lived. I was married with children, and it was not an option for me to go away to school. :)
There are some options to parents nowadays, and in fact in the rural school district where I taught, parents routinely switched their kids from district to district (usually if they got into trouble in one, they switched to another). In addition, home schooling is an excellent option, as are some private or religious schools. And yes, I know you end up getting double *taxed* however when it's your kids education on the line, I think sometimes you have to suck it up and realize that while it's not fair, you're doing the right thing for your child.
susie