My aunt home schools her two youngest and they absolutely love it. They use a co-op program where parents take turns teaching. For example, a local vet teaches biology and my aunt, who is a personal trainer/nutritionist, teaches health. They have a swim team and they compete against other schools in UIL events. My 15 year old cousin would be a sophomore this year if she was in public school, is now considered a junior. She's currently taking most of her classes at the local jr. college right now. Her older brother brother gets to make rounds with a game warden, learning about local fauna and conservation (he wants to manage a large game ranch when he's done with school). They're getting tons of opportunities they would never have if they were in public school. They also compete in dance, rodeo, and 4-H.

As for the college thing... The 15 year old took all of the entrance exams for the local college and passed with flying colors. She did better than most kids who completed high school. And for the record... My husband hated high school and had maybe 2-3 friends. He hates large groups and is an introvert. He's also making 6 figures right now. You don't have to attend high school to learn how to deal with the "adult" world.

My husband and I have pretty much decided that we're going to home school this baby and he's not even born yet. With all the budget cuts the schools in our area are receiving, its almost pointless to send him to public school. English teachers are teaching pre-calculus and classes are way over crowded. We've already found some co-ops and would like to go that route.

The point is, your life is what you make of it. Your education is what you make of it. My husband taught himself to program and blazed through college. He's now writing his own video game engines. I'll finally get to go back to college next spring, but will be able to finish a 4 year program in 3 years because I'll be able to test out of several things. And we both went to the same horrible public school that taught us very little. There are tons of resources out there. If you use them, it won't matter if you were in public school or home schooled. Its all about setting yourself up for success.