I spent a brief time teaching high school in the public school system, and what struck me the most about the students was their lack of desire to improve their situation/go to college/etc and their disrespect for the teachers, their fellow students and themselves.
I also felt like the majority (not all) of the parents felt that if their child was having any sort of problems, be they academic or behavioral, that it was the fault of the school and/or the responsibilty of the school to solve the problem.
From my personal experiences as a student, I wasn't particularly impressed with either the public schools or the private schools. Although I must admit that the private school that I attended, to me, seemed more of a means for the rich to segregate their children from any "undesireable" segments of society (yes, racism is alive and well in the south), or to "buy" a diploma for their academically challenged children (the ninth grade curricula was on par with what I learned in public school in the fifth grade).
Of course, I'm putting the cart before the horse, since it isn't a given that I will have children (I'm 37 years young. Every time I talk to my mom she asks me if I'm pregnant yet

Thanks,
T.