To be in public school, or not to be in public school, that is the question. In Brookline, a town known for its strong public education system and proximity to elite private schools in New England, families face that question. Students and parents both say the choice is rarely clear cut. For many, it is shaped by a delicate balance of academic needs, extracurricular opportunities, social considerations and finances.

Out of the 6,876 children in town aged 5 to 14, only 4,440 attend Brookline public schools. That means more than 2,400 children—roughly 36% of that age group—are outside the public system.

For one anonymous Brookline parent, who will be referred to as Jane, the decision to leave the public school system came from growing frustration with instability at the middle school level. Despite being a strong supporter of public education and a graduate of the UMass undergraduate and Medical school system, she made the difficult choice to withdraw her three children from the Hayes public middle school.

Jane said she became frustrated with the chronic staffing issues and she wanted a better math and science program for her children.

“It was all [substitutes], in and out for math and science and there were a lot of [teacher] changes, so they really didn’t even really have a real science class for months,” Jane said. “There was a mass exodus, so many people left the school.”

Though she initially planned to enroll her children in private schools only for middle school, the family ended up staying longer. The tuition at both of the schools they attend is over 50,000 a year. Jane said that the individualized attention, high academic standards and accessible teachers were strong draws.

“Academically, the middle schools are really strong in private schools,” Jane said. “There’s a lot of rigor and they make the kids dependable. You have to turn in your [work] and if you don’t, you get a fail. And that’s life.”

Haley Ament, a sophomore at the high school, spent 7th and 8th grade at a private school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But when it came time for high school, she said she returned to public school without hesitation.

“During COVID we didn’t really have much school in Brookline public schools, and a few people my mom knew had [kids in] private school and it was slightly more structured after COVID,” Ament said.

Amira Barnett, a junior at the Winsor School, which costs over 60,000 dollars to attend, entered private school in sixth grade seeking more academic challenge, extracurricular opportunities and a change in social dynamics. Unlike Jane’s family, Barnett initiated the transition herself after feeling unengaged in the public school curriculum.

“I was getting really bored,” Barnett said. “It was pretty standardized, and there was not a lot of individualized learning.”

Yet, the private high school experience isn’t without complications according to Jane. She said she had concerns that private school might make it harder for her kid to stand out as they approached college age.

“You’re competing with a bunch of kids who are very tough,” Jane said. “It’s harder to get an A when you’re in a class where everyone is motivated.”

Barnett echoed the appeal of the school’s overall academic success, noting that she also feels the pressure to perform well from her peers.

“Someone who is getting [an] A- doesn’t feel as much of an accomplishment, when the whole grade is like staying up all night studying. It can feel like your A- isn’t enough,” she said.

However, while Jane thought the college process would be more difficult for her junior son due the raised academic bar, Barnett saw advantages in the college preparation aspect of private education.

“I meet with my college counselor a few times a month,” she said. “She knows me and knows where I’m at academically.”

Barnett said that the constant individualized support is something she greatly values, and will prove advantageous come the time for college applications. Barnett also said she did not like how much impact wealth had on her private school experience. She said there was an overwhelming sense of academic pressure, social homogeneity and wealth disparity.

“The social dynamics—like who’s hosting after prom in their mansion—can make you feel really small,” Barnett said.

What becomes clear is that there is no “right” choice in the question of public or private school; only the one that works for a particular child at a particular time, Jane said.

Among all her children, even the ones she believes would have been okay at public school for high school, the added academic structure was not the only consideration for Jane.

“We thought initially we were just going to do it for middle school, but it’s hard to pull the kids out after they develop their friends and circles and all that,” Jane said.

Ament said the value of returning to a familiar environment—with her teammates, family and old friends—outweighed any perceived academic advantages of private education.

“BHS also has such a high level of education. So many APs, and the sports are just as competitive,” Ament said.

“I think it depends on the kid,” Jane said. “If your child’s already motivated, public school is probably a better alternative. But if they need structure or more support, private school can really help.”

Barnett said that the transition to private school can be difficult but that there are things that can ease that transition for the kid.

“You should have clear reasons of why you’re going [to private school]. I think I had semi-loose reasons to why I was going to private school, but I think if you really have clear and distinct reasons why you want a transfer, then it might be a better transition for your kid,” Barnett said.

In Brookline, the privilege of having strong public schools and access to many private ones gives families options—but also hard decisions, Jane said, and different factors hold different weight for people when making the decision.

“It’s a tough choice,” she said. “I’m not sure there’s a one-size-fits-all answer.”