I haven't started on the kindergardner yet, but for the little older students, check to see if you have charter schools in your area. My 14yr old attends a charter school in OKC and it is more like a private school, without the cost, sorta. They are still considerd public, but they have a testing process and the kids have to be accepted. Along with a parent "contract" as well. The teachers are happier because they are paid a little more and there is also the chance that they can be fired for their performance, if bad of course. The teacher seem to be more vested in doing well and LIKE where they are at.

We had a neighborhood school, but it's closing at the end of this year due to a failed levy. People in our small town just don't have the money to dole out more, and since the Ohio government has done nothing effective to fix our school funding the local communities are bearing the brunt of it. My two kids will have to change from a small, 1 class-per-grade level school to the largest school in town, and I'm seriously considering private school - although I can't afford that either.

Oh, we sort of have that here -- the public school my son attends is close (though not close enough for us to walk to, but some families can and do), but I can't really say there's a feeling of community, because how can you have a feeling of community if there are 575 children in your child's school, and that's only for 2nd and 3rd grades? Our community here in south-central Texas is growing like CRAZY and the overcrowding in the schools is ridiculous, but just as ridiculous is the size of the school to begin with. Fortunately, the academics are challenging and the kids don't seem to get lost in that big system. But what you're seeking does exist -- a friend in New Jersey has just that sort of school in just that sort of town. Very nice, I think!