I agree with Ali 100% about primary actually being more important than secondary.

There are quite a few threads in BB that discuss this issue. public vs private. Some can get VERY heated

I have privately educated my DD since she was in pre-school... she is now in grade 9 and the fees are now about $18,000 per year (not including uniforms books etc). My 5yo DS goes to a public primary because it has a better reputation than the private co-ed ones in terms of quality of staff. If he was a girl he would also attend the girls' school.

You can't really compare private vs public... like others have said it's more school vs school. HOWEVER we have been very impressed with what our DD has received over the years. Money well spent.