It’s hugely school and child-dependant, of course. All you can do is research the options and make the best decision you can with the info you have." —u/red_dakini Students in public schools generally get a better education in terms of street knowledge (for lack of a better term). They are better at reading situations, understanding and interacting with a wide range of characters and developing life skills a lot younger. Bullying and social issues are pretty much the same, if not a bit worse at private schools. Personally, I would never send my kid to a private school, as I value the experience described. If my child was interested/open to it, I would switch them from public to private for years 11/12 — but I definitely would not push or encourage it." —u/Relaapse —u/KittyKatWombat —u/acuriousmindofmine I had a mate go to public school and got a 97 point ATAR [final school result], got into Sydney Uni and has a successful life. All this to say: If your kid is a good kid that works hard and you are an involved parent who cares about their education, they’ll be fine no matter what school they go to. If they’re naughty, struggling or dealing with trauma, no amount of school fees are going to pull them into line. Just be aware that if your kid is struggling socially or academically that they may need a different environment. But you can never know that without them experiencing it." —u/SprinklesAndGlitters We now have her (and my younger daughter) in a private catholic school and I couldn’t be happier. A lot may find it strict, but I like it. I’m confident my kids won’t be attacked and if they do, the school will deal with it accordingly. They have the luxury of getting rid of kids doing the wrong thing, whereas the public school really cannot." —u/karti24 In my cohort, we have a neurosurgeon who has studied at the world’s top schools for medicine. An orthopaedic surgeon, a director of a large not-for-profit foundation, a university lecturer etc. It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you’re happy and don’t hurt other people." —u/Head-Ad-8677 In terms of high school, I guess it heavily depends on what you can afford, but the catholic school system worked for my parents’ budget and was overall a better choice than the local public high schools. However, the reputation of those has changed drastically (for the better) since I finished school 17 years ago." —u/jumpingjilikers They even offer international excursions far more than public schools. This shouldn’t be an issue, but private schools also provide private transportation, making life easier for the child. I have noticed private school students are typically more academically motivated than of those from public schools." —u/No-Ear-5342 Many regional areas, and some areas of Sydney, have poor public schools and a private school is worth the investment in that instance. I was raised in an area with two public schools with bad reputations — forking out for me to go to the local private school was well worth it in that case. However, in a decent area, I wouldn’t bother going private." —u/katemess12
