I mentioned my Catholic education, which I didn't like. We were treated like a herd of cattle. There were a minimum of 50 kids per class (usually more) and if you weren't near the top you were at a disadvantage. I went from grades 2-10.
In 7th grade they separated the boys from the girls and then Freshman year I went to an all girls high-school.
In my junior year I elected to go to a large public high school. It was a great experience. I went to school with the richest, poorest, and everyone in between, all races, ethnicities , religions, you name it. I'm so glad my parents allowed me to do it.
It was the best experience I had before college. The diversity was an education in itself. I made many friends along the way I would have never known had I stayed in the other high school.
We had a similar situation when our boys were in school. For most of their formative years they went to a school with kids just like them. When we moved we put them in a more diverse setting and they did just as well academically but were happier socially. They've told me many times those were their best school years before college.
This is a little off-topic but since we're discussing education I thought I'd mention it.