See, the problem is that you're basically arguing that it's not as bad as I say, not that it's equal to or on par with the homeschooling experience. Personalized, one-on-one teaching with recognition of interests and learning styles is just about the definition of the optimal student experience. I have no doubt that schools have various programs that try to do this and that, but at the end of the day, you're still a student in a program. You still have one teacher trying to develop a lesson plan that will fit all the students under his/her wing.

Anyway. I'm not trying to say that public school is evil. They're doing their best, and there are some good teachers out there. They just can't hope to compare with a personal tutor who has a vested interest in their success.

Oh, last thing. Do students have the ability to drive themselves? Of course they do. That's not the point, though. Most do NOT drive themselves, in spite of their capability. They're kids, for heaven's sake. They don't want to do mooooooooooore homework, they want to go outside and play. They don't have the maturity to see 20 years into the future, and make decisions based on that. We have instructors for a reason, we don't just show the kid a library and tell him to go there six hours a day. Kids need motivation, and they aren't likely to find much at a public school. Most teachers are overworked and underpaid, and the social culture tells them it's "not cool" to care about one's work.

So I reiterate at the end: done right, a homeschool education is superior to a public school education.