weeeeeeeeeeeeelll i went to a private school, and i'd have to say its alot better than the public school i went to after it.. After leaving school, i realised that, hey, maybe having stricter rules/teachers etc wasn't such a bad idea.. I was a good kid at the private school, then in yr11 at the public school, things went downhill, being that if you weren't in the top 2 classes out of the 5-6 classes, you couldn't pay attention cause everyone was mucking around constantly etc. I also never once saw any cigarettes or drugs at the private school.. First week at the public school i had seen kids smoking everywhere, smoking pot at lunch and recess, and i even saw some girls bring SPEED into school and use it at school.. That is why i left after year 11.. Public schools ARE good if you can get into the higher classes.. If not, i reckon don't waste your time.. When i have kids, i will most definitely spend the big bucks, for a better quality of education..