It is my experience that there is very little difference between most public and private schools. Kids are kids no matter what school they attend. Private schools can pick and choose their students, based on their criteria, but once teenagers are socialized and grouped together, their behaviors are pretty much the same.

Private schools can differ in their curriculum. Religion can be taught and some subjects that may not be offered in public schools may be offered at certain private institutions.

I'm not comparing the educational benefits of either private or public schools, but I have found that schools, in general, aren't teaching kids the things that they really need to know in order to survive and thrive in today's society. How often will you be asked in your lifetime, "What year did Christopher Columbus discover America?" Or, "When did World War II start and end?" Will you ever be asked to name all of the presidents that have ever served in office? Or to parse a sentence, labeling the parts of speech? Not unless you plan on teaching these subjects. It is likely that most people will never use 90% of the information that is taught in school. It certainly doesn't hurt to know as much as possible, however, the brain can only retain a certain amount of information and the best time to absorb this information is when you are young.

I believe that children would be better prepared for life away from home if some basic knowledge was given to them prior to graduation. Knowledge that most people must obtain after their school years are over, when they venture out into the real world.