I have never suggested that private schools' raw numbers (attendance) are comparable, but I do assert that since private schools have DIFFERENT (and much more liberal) attendance restrictions, they are NOT equal to public schools with similar raw populations but with attendance zone restrictions.
To put it in context, if a public schools draws 750 students from an attendance zone of 8000 inhabitants, the private school with 250 students drawing from 50,000 inhabitants within driving distance is actually at an advantage (just as a public school with 750 students is not able to compete with public schools of 2600 students because they are drawing athletes from larger pools for the talent).
Thus, it is unfair and inappropriate to make sweeping (and negative) generalizations about AA/A based on comparing those public schools with private schools that are UNLIKE them.
Private school girl soccer teams don't have a pool of 50,000 students to pool from and I would question the more "liberal" attendance restrictions. One you have to "test" in most private schools to be accepted (so there is an academic restriction) and two you have to have the economic means and/or desire to attend (a financial restriction). Don't kid yourself - I highly doubt there are any girl's high school soccer scholarships in South Carolinia - a southern state where football rules. Now if 1A/2A SC schools were competing with a private athletic school such as IMG in FLA. then maybe you would have a case. There I believe the students are selected and going there for academics AND sports - perhaps they have high school athletic scholarships. As far as switching schools to play on a better team, private schools playing in the highschool conference are restricted the same as public. Other than the freshman year, a student has to sit out a year if they played a year at another school - even if it was switching to/from a school they were zoned for.
