My son had a severe concussion in 2000. He had been reading at a 4th grade level (7 years old) but I had had to go back to "A sounds like aaaa." The drs said he had permanent brain damage and my husband was recalled form Kosovo. He then got very ill for about 3 years and we found out he was a Celiac. He then became a Type 1, brittle diabetic.
Last August he started public school. I had him held back a year from the get-go just because he's been through so much. He tested 5 years above his peers in reading (maxed the test) with a college-level vocabulary, two years higher in math, and two years below grade level in writing.
Can you honestly tell me that *ANY* public school would've done better with this kid than I did?
My daughter is almost 15 and getting really sick of her friends (who are, on average, two years older) asking her to define words she uses on an every-day basis. One of her friends has hypothyroidism and my daughter knew more on the subject off the top of her head than her friend knew after living with the disease for two years. Both of my kids will kick the average adult butt when it comes to history, human physiology, medicine, history and science. The school nurse told me that my son knew more about diabetes than she'd learned after working with diabetics for 20 years.
With all that said; I *KNOW* there are idiots out there who would make horrible HS parents. I also know that HSing is hard work that takes incredible stamina and dedication. Too many parents aren't willing to do the work required to do a good job. HSing isn't for everyone, but it isn't necessarily true that PS is the best option for all children.