Depending upon their income bracket, many European parents would rather return to home and put their children into schools there, than subject them to an American education. Of course if in the United States, the parents have access to a good private or public school, things might be different.
Unlike schools in the United States, many Western European schools actually compete for students. Course offerings are varied and designed to stimulate a child/young person's mind. OTHO the State decides (via exams given at certian levels, such as the French BAC), what subject matter is important enough to be covered, without which one does not get into a good university/college.
In Europe grades on those high school exams (again, like the BAC) determine where one goes onto college. So if you are a lycee student and wants to get into one of the top French universities or colleges (where still to this day, almost 95% of business leaders, civil servants, government ministers, etc come from), you know what you must do. Who your parents are may help to an extent, but without the grades, admission won't happen. Since many European colleges/universities are state funded in whole or partially, there is no counterpart of the American "legacy" student, who gets in because of money and or parental connections.
OTHO students at both college and high school level in Europe have power that those in the United States can only dream of. The former on both levels have rioted, boycotted, and used other forms of "unrest" to protest changes at their schools and such they felt was not in their best interests. Unlike in the US, these student leaders get a place at the government table from these protests, not like Kent State or Columbia where students merely got gassed, beaten and shoved about (though that does happen).
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