<p>Cookiemom:</p>
<p>Many public high schools enable their advanced students to take courses at local colleges so the standouts will still be standouts.
In fact, this was one reason we stuck with the public school. Even the top private schools are unlikely to offer a course past linear algebra and multivariable calculus., and their relative isolation makes transport to a nearby college difficult.
We considered BU Academy, which sends its juniors and seniors to BU for courses, but then decided we could get the same kind of courses for our S by sticking with our public hs. The Harvard Extension School welcomes high school students. In a MV Calc class of 83 last year, 53 were high schoolers from nearby districts. I know of at least one student from a neighboring district who took a Latin course, and a couple who took Introductory Biology there. At $600 per course, it's a bargain.</p>