Is it bad to go to a private school?

I really want to go to a private all-girls high school?

• I am 14 years old this year and in Year 8. The public school I attend currently is one of the top ten high schools in our state. I will be taking the entrance exam for a selective high school soon, because of my parents. I don't think I will get in since I'm not very academically gifted (especially in maths! ), but somehow I feel that I would be happier in the private school than the selective. The private girls school I want to go to is very well-known and prestigious. A lot of my friends attend school there and also want me to come too. They have socials every year with other private schools, including some that a few of my good friends attend. Also, they have better VCE scores and results than my current public school, placing the private school higher on the chart. I do tuition classes for Chinese, English and Maths. My whole class is made up of kids who go to very good private boy/girl/co-ed high schools, except for this other boy and me. The selective school is also further away from our house than the private school, which is quite close -by, so I don't think transportation would be a problem. The main problem with me going to a private high school is the fees. I have 3 other siblings - 2 younger sisters and 1 younger brother. If I were to attend the private school, so would my siblings. I have talked to my dad about this before and he replied that if it was only me who was going, then that wouldn't be too much of a problem, as we could easily afford it. But since I have 3 other siblings, the fee is multiplied by 4, making it much more difficult to afford. I also don't think it'll be fair if I were the only one to attend a private high school among my siblings but I still really want to go. I know it sounds super selfish, but there are other reasons of why I wish to go to the private girls college. Firstly, I value my education and since the private school has a better average score than us, I feel that it would be a right decision to transfer to there as

• Answer:

  I have heard a few horror stories about public education in the US, and how divisive and stratified it is, and how it fosters a culture of bullying. I'm not sure private school would necessarily be much different, except it would exclude the kids from poor families who can't afford to go, and there should be a slightly lower proportion of kids who are perpetually angry at society. I went to an all girls boarding school in England, and it was much more relaxed than the comprehensive school I had been to before, and I believe it has made me a much better person. Sadly, unless you can find the money for the fees yourself, the decision is not really yours to make.