I know that there are home school success stories, out there.
I was just stating my experience with interaction with home schoolers/my niece and nephews experience as home schoolers.
There is definitely an advantage, in being able to go through accelerated learning. My niece skipped a grade, and is the youngest kid in her class, by a year and a half almost.
The academics part has more advantages than not. I was referring more to the psych/socializing of home schoolers. Like you said, they aren't socializing with kids for the most part, thus feeling pressure from adults rather than peers. A lot of home school environments, in my experience, are pretty laid back. Yes, the work may be rigorous, but it isn't an 8-3 type setting, like public/private schools. That flexibility makes it hard for a lot of kids to learn how to stick to a schedule, and do things in a timely manner. That and socialization are the biggest problems for kids that go from home school to college. If they can get over those humps, they will kill it in the classroom, because they're in their element. It is just getting over those humps, that make the jump from home school to regular school hard.
Sorry you had a bad experience at Lakeside. I graduated from there in 2010, and it was the best school environment that I was ever in. Keep in mind, I have lived all over, and been in HUGE schools and small schools. When I was in 6th grade at Union in Tulsa, we had 2100 kids in the 6th and 7th grade center alone. When I got to Lakeside, there was barely 1000 in the entire high school. Lakeside was a pretty close knit group of folks, with a few outcasts. I don't think people had to "try" to fit in there.. it was more natural. Most all the kids came from the same type of background/upbringing. We just meshed well. When they put the school choice law in effect, we had a lot of transfers. They realized really quick, that they didn't fit in. It wasn't there fault. It was more so that we had all grown up together, hit puberty together, had the same interests, etc. Outsiders come into Lakeside and get hit with a culture shock, lol. It seems more diverse there now, or at least that is the vibe I got last time I was on campus for a football game.
It is still one of the best public schools in the state, and has top test scores year in and year out.
Can't remember how many kids in my class went to 4 year schools, but we set the record for most scholarship dollars awarded. Of my 20 best friends in high school, all turned out alright. Everyone graduated with good/great degrees, and are either working in the medical field, corporate world, or are in med school.