In the US, private and home schools have become increasingly popular options. Much, but not all, of this education tends to be religiously-motivated, and I've seen the quality of this education run the gamut.

On the one hand, these options can churn out science-deniers that will be our future and the death of us all through their brazen denial of climate change. On the other hand, some of the other home schooled children I've met were easily the best-prepared, brightest students (and sometimes kids fell into both of those categories at once, strangely enough).

I've read too much Foucault to think completely positively about public schools. They serve some very particular social functions: children's bodies are accounted for at all times, which is conditioning them into social control; kids stay out of the job market, which helps economic indicators like higher employment numbers and bolstered wages; and the public school does a fairly poor job at actually educating kids whose brains aren't really wired for this weird, rigid model of learning.

I don't want to pretend US schools are the norm, but they're certainly not THAT unique.

I understand that finding the right model of education for your children is a difficult task. Good luck finding one that works for you and your family!