Public or Private? (Just Not Catholic)

Opening note: I'd be very glad for comments on this post, especially the sort which shall be mentioned later here. So sit back... shut up!... and read. ;)

I'm going to type at you about one of my biggest dilemmas right now: high school applications. Well, I don't need to tell you that I'm a smart cookie; you've probably guessed that from the high level of intelligence which shines through in earlier posts. (Aw, shut up and just believe it; I AM smart.) So whatever high school I go to, I want it to be one where I don't twiddle my thumbs the whole four years that I'm there. I want it to be one where I can really get prepared for the kind of life I want to lead, namely an educated one in which I can follow through with my many ambitions. Right now, I'm attending private school; academically it's great. So why, you ask, don't I just say "I'm a-going to private high school, where I'm almost positive it'll be academically challenging because they make you pay so much"?
The answer is: these high schools charge 25k/year to attend. And even though my parents make a good deal of money, it really isn't enough to add 7k to the yearly school tuition that we pay for my sis and I to go to private school. Of course, we have applied for financial aid from all of the private high schools that I'm applying to, but financial aid usually goes to families who don't have as much money as we do. The truth is that we DO have a good deal of money--it just ain't quite enough. In other words, my family fits into the tiny crack where it's extremely unlikely for me to get the financial aid to attend a private, 25k/annum high school.
Which sucks.
Now on the other hand, even if my parents had the ample money to send me to a private high school, I would probably still consider going to a public high school. There are lots of benefits, such as more extracurriculars, a bigger student body, and more of the things that are considered parts of the "high school experience". In a tight and rather cushy private school, some of those things just aren't available. And after four years in a private high school, with the same 60 kids in my grade, I'm probably going to know everybody's dogs' names. It would be really nice to be in a larger community of people for high school--not to mention a more diverse one. And just as a side benefit, if I went to public school, my parents would have more money each year to spend on things that are not school tuition--such as taking trips out of the country. Due to financial restrictions, I have only been out of the country once in my life... to Vancouver Island, Canada, which is just across the Washington border. Canada's not really South Africa or Italy if you know what I mean. Eh?

I didn't apply to any Catholic schools, partly because I'm not Catholic and wouldn't enjoy the religion classes any more than I enjoy my dad's reading of Bible stories to me every Sunday. And partly because half of the Catholic high schools are all girls, which I DON'T THINK I COULD STAND. Fellas are needed.
So there you have my dilemma: public or private (just not catholic)? On one hand, there is the academics of a private school that I just won't get at the public schools I've seen so far; on the other hand there is the environment of a public school which would really be a nice change and which I could never get in a small private school. On top of it all, there is my dad who wants me to go to private school and my mom who would rather I go to public.
So returning to the beginning of this post: would people please comment about their opinions on this matter? Because it's becoming way too hard to talk to anybody I know about high school, and new opinions would be most gladly welcome.
TFATF!!!!
-Ahaneen :)