Public school vs Private school

I feel like public school is the only way, but this is only true if you choose the RIGHT public school. I mean, to be honest, all private schools are not created equally either, so you have to choose the RIGHT school be it public or private. The public school my child attends is rated a "ten" on great schools. And this school is far better than many private schools around. We live in an area that is comprised of mostly University Professors, Graduate and Professional students, and professionals, many of whom have advanced degrees. Having said that, the school reflects our surroundings. The academic pace is fairly fast, teachers are very concerned and attentive to the students, and our school out performs the large majority of schools in the state [private schools included].

There are a wide range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities at his school including MathCounts, FirstLegoLeague, Project Lead The Way, Future Problem Solvers, Equestrian Club, Ski Club, Fencing Club and many other specialities in addition to sports.

In addition to high academic standards, the school is larger, and [slightly] more diverse than a public school, and kids are allowed more individuality [which I feel is important for a child]. In addition the few hundred [to few thousand depending on the school] per month we don't spend in tuition, we can spend on enrichment activities that aren't offered in even most private schools. This includes martial arts, sailing, flying, polo and other activities my child enjoys. He gets everything he needs from the core curriculum and extracurricular activities at school, and gets a lot of supplemental activities with the money we save.

You can usually always find sports teams outside of school on which he can play. If you can afford to continue him in his current school, why not? A child with a strong foundation can make the transition to a public high school. It's not that you're 'sheltering' your son, is it? Isn't it that you're giving him a strong foundation precisely because you want him to have one when he meets up with the demands of a large public high school?
Good luck with your decision.

Does the current school end at Middle School? If so, I would talk to them about how they prepare students to transition to a new environment. Many schools step up the expectations in 8th grade in anticipation of HS. They also might offer transition services to help you find the right setting for your child next year - either a new private HS or public HS.

As far as sports, each community is different. In mine, the Middle school does not have sports team. Sports are taken care of at the town level. Some athletes supplement town sports with club level teams such as AAU or sports camps.

If your MS has sports, he may want to try to find a club team to play for so that he gets more experience and develops his skills. This is especially important if the HS is large and the teams are selective.

Also - many HS's have transition meetings for new students. Be sure to get on the mailing list so that you are notified of these meetings.