kodokan

Agreed - you'll find you're paying 'school fees' via your property taxes. Our OH taxes are at least twice what they were in AZ, but the teachers are paid twice as much, there are dozens of Chromebooks in every classroom, there's a thriving arts and music program, 3D printers, etc etc. Class sizes for my kids are low 20s down to just 4 (for my son's AP European History class); high teens is the average. People who'd want to go private in the UK, for better facilities, smaller class sizes, and a more... like-minded, college-focused peer group, can achieve the same in the US by living in an expensive area.

Steerpike

I have no children so can't speak to most of the issues here, but I am doing some consulting now at a public school in a very affluent area. One little snippet of information I learned is that they have a very healthy tax base (thanks to very high local property taxes), which excludes them from getting state subsidies for students. As a result, they have no incentive to take on extra students, and make every effort to limit their 'roster' (one of their biggest challenges is stopping kids from registering who are not really resident in the area). Conversely, for schools in poorer areas, they don't cross the threshold for local tax revenues, and thus get a subsidy from the state based on 'headcount' ... so these schools do everything they can to boost their roster. So I can see why people clamor to get in to affluent neighborhoods with good schools.

This school also seems to have a very successful 'fund raising' arm, with millions of dollars being raised from the rich parent base, which results in upgraded facilities, equipment, etc. Their 'media' lab was pretty impressive ... lots of iPads, ChromeBooks, etc on hand for every student. I never realized this, but even though it is a public school (which in the US means 'state school'), it seems perfectly able to consume private dollars.

As you probably know, the Bay Area is a liberal hotbed, with even the richest of folks being staunch liberals. There is a strong philosophical commitment to 'public education', and the rich locals would rather put their kids through public schools and throw money at the school rather than use a private school. All of which further explains why there is such a strong emphasis on living in a 'good' school district.

morpeth

Good point in regards to public schools but a lot depends on area, and also of course what level of education and behavior one wants for the children. For example Menlo Park is a high income area, but the high school most go to has quite a few students from surrounding areas who to put it politely at least aren't in jail yet.