When I mentioned that saving $20K/year could help fund a substantially more expensive house, it wasn't to encourage conspicuous consumption. I just pointed it out because a quarter million dollars can often make the difference between living in a so-so school district and a truly great one. And if you have more than one child, those differences are only magnified.
I find it somewhat ironic that many of our privately-educated members are open to public schools, while those with public education backgrounds are interested in private school educations. Although I'm interested in public schools, especially for elementary, I am put off by the public high schools in my area.
I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a college town with some of the highest property values in our state. In the last three years, the following happened at our local high school: 2005: three students committed armed robbery of a bank. 2004: one 10th grader shot and killed another student while truant from classes. 2003: a fifteen year old boy was raped in the boys' bathroom by another student.
There's no way I'd let my child go to that particular school, and I'm appalled those things happen in my town. But there are other towns where kids seem to have better values, and I would definitely consider the schools if I lived there.
Of course, bad things can happen at private schools too. When I was a senior at Exeter, one of my 18 year old classmates had sex with a 14 year old prep on the filthy unused shower floor in the basement of my dorm. Later that night, the girl was taken by ambulence to the local hospital because of uncontrolled bleeding and pain. When she returned, she was mocked by fellow students and snubbed by faculty, and ended up leaving school for good two weeks later. The senior graduated the following month without ever having been brought up before the discipline committee. Today, everyone would recognize this as statutory rape, but at that time, it was just something to ignore.