Wallethub.com said it's #3 overall [2]
US New and World Reports said it's #2 overall for education[3]
In 2019 EducationWeek ranked it #1 [4]
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"they didn’t assign homework “because of need for school / life balance”.
Covid was a stressful time for kids and parents alike. Is school/life balance not a valid concern for teachers especially under unique circumstances? You also mentioned everything was online, not sure if that was part of your criticism but weren't private also doing that?
"For private school, we see it because we had to help get them back up to par. I have helped my son understand algebra and read Shakespeare, and my younger daughter age appropriate math and English."
You could have helped your children in Public school as well right? Isn't it possible that you changing schools also caused you to involve yourself more. That the end result is not so much the private school but an attitude change due to the new school. Similar to how someone moves and it gives them motivation to find a job or get their life together.
You also talk about how your kids are learning the way they did years ago and that your 5th grader (at the comment's time) is learning Latin. However you mentioned that the first year of the private schooling was difficult because of the transition and the amount to overcome (related to your children being behind?)
Isn't it possible that Covid caused a distinct change in your mental state. Think about it, you have your two children home all the time unexpectedly , both with learning disabilities, and you had schools that had to adapt to remote learning quickly. There's stress everywhere. So your children don't score well on standardized tests, it's understandable to be concerned. The school, having trouble implementing a completely new way of learning drops homework and is generous with the grades. Maybe that's not unreasonable considering the situation for schools at the time.
"The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of children and adolescents is multifaceted and substantial. Survey studies regarding child and adolescent mental health amid COVID-19 indicated that anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, and tension are the most observed symptoms." [5]
[1]https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/stateprofile?chor... [2] https://wallethub.com/edu/e/states-with-the-best-schools/533... [3] https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education [4]https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/in-national-ranking-o...
[5]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8972920/#:~:tex....