SPS get a bad rap - I think that the programs are really great and you see a lot of students having successful career paths. The bad reputation is likely because of the mixing of a wider range of SES group compared to the richer towns (New Canaan, Greenwich, Darien). I agree with the other commenters that a rich and diverse community is a huge benefit to the school experience.

magnet schools were well described. I went to AITE for high school and was in their PLTW program for biomed, now I'm in medical school - plenty of other factors contributed to that, but I would say that my high school benefited me immensely in this journey.