The human formerly known as "ronsimpson <ronsimpson@unidial.com>" wrote: {I hate to burst any bubbles but, the school with the highest number of {National Merit Finalists and highest number of 1600 SATs is a Public {High School (Jefferson High in Fairfax, VA) Er, how about the schools with the highest percentages, not the largest number? A public school will most certainly have more students than home schools or private schools. Every home schooled child I know has a significantly better grasp on the world than any public or private schooled child. Perhaps only because their parents take a great interest in their education, but the results stand out regardless. Cypherpunk relevance? Sure - what does the gubmint allow you to do? What information are you allowed to learn, and from what authorized sources? How are those sources authorized? Who stamps the seal of information approval upon those documents, and how do we know that the information isn't simply a 'corrected' view of history (or physics, or english language...)? We don't, unless there are multiple channels of information to compare against, from 'signed' by experts, to pseudonymous authors, to completely anonymous authors. The only way to be certain that your children learn about the way things _really_ are, is to allow for these sources. -- no sig too small