Recent graduate of stamford high, went to stamford public schools my whole life. 75% of stamford children go to stamford public schools. What this basically means is that the student body mostly consists of "middle class" people from the newfield/springdale/tor areas, "working class" people from the cove/ridgeway/glenbrook areas, and people living in poverty from the east side/west side/south end. The classes/student body are pretty much segregated along these lines. Once you get to high school, the student body is divided into AP/IB kids, honors kids, CP kids, and and kids that go to Stamford Academy. It's really up to your child as to where they want to end up in the larger scheme of things. It's not like private school where they are sheltered off and pretty much guaranteed a cushy upper-middle-class life afterwards. Going to public schools, there are plenty of kids each year that graduate and go to Ivies, plenty that go to state schools, plenty that start work or enlist, and plenty that drop out and start hustling. It's going to be up to your kid with regards to who they associate with, what they do and how they perform, and who they want to be. I wouldn't trade my experience in the school system for anything, but the students deserve a lot more than what the board of ed gives them.