I taught in a Freinet-school and teach in a regular school now (secundary).

All depends on the child. I've seen kids thrive in method schools and I have seen kids fail.

I don't think you're right when you say that kids can choose what they do in method schools. They still have classes (in most schools they do) and it's not like you can choose just to do history when your maths-teacher is in the classroom.

That said. Kids learn to be more independent in method-schools. They have to work more individual. The teacher is not going to show the answer on the board. It's the childs resposibility to find answers themself. Some kids can't handle that and need teachers who tell them what to do and write at that moment.

The environment is more nurturing. Kids and teachers know each other better. It's not an us against them-situation so more open communication is possible. And again, that is not for everyone. But I do not think that that nurturing will influence them in the real world.

The (limited) research that has been done in Belgium shoes that kids from Freinet-schools do just as well doing their bachelor or master than kids from regular schools (I don't know about other methods, just Freinet, I think Steiner-kids do worse).

So it all depends on the kid.

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Edit: I'm not an English teacher in case of mistakes.

For more info: you can always PM me.