I don’t think there is anything magical either way about a kid staying instate or going out of state ( sometimes kids staying IS end up being further away than many kids going OOS in a small region with close borders). Any kid moving out of the parental home as a 17 or 18 year old is already taking a step toward becoming independent. The reality is that most kids still go to their instate public schools or stay within a couple of hundred miles or so of their home. If you go to an instate school and don’ t want to see anybody from your high school, it is easy enough to do so. That argument by teenagers that if they stay instate it will be just like high school always seems overblown. It will only be like high school if you let it be. If you are having to commute and live at home with your parents , that is when I do think it could get potentially tougher to start feeling more independent. Both my kids stayed instate and went to schools about 2 1/2 -5 hours away from us but met many kids from all over the country. But, they still maintain ties with friends they have known as far back as elementary school as well. Best of both worlds.