You are exactly right Jenny H, the main reason being that while most (but not all) children who attend private schools are from relatively well off families, most children in the public school system are not and as a consequence have to fight and work much harder to go to uni. My own daughter was in the Special Needs Class at her primary school when I gained custody at 8/9 yo. My fight in the family court wiped out any spare money I had and then some. Nothing elitist here am very much from lower socio economic working class. Apart from years of abuse and neglect at the hands of her mother and the trauma associated with a protracted custody battle she had Lead levels as high as 73, more than 7 times the Maximum recommended level. She has worked incredibly hard to get where she is today. My daughter worked cleaning other peoples houses to help finance her university studies. Adversity can be very character building. She completed a 4 year Psychology degree with 1st class honours and won the university medal when she was still only 21 yo. Now 23 she is in the second year of a PHD in Forensic Psychology. I note that several of her more well off contemporaries have fallen by the wayside.