Some things to think about when looking for a flight school:
-Ask for the average number of hours it takes for the school your talking to to complete a private pilot's license. If they won't give you concrete numbers beware.
-Find out if the flight instructors receive a salary or if they are paid only on the basis of how many hours they fly. If the later is the case beware.
-Check out Canadian flight schools. Licenses are fairly easily transferable and the difference in the value of the dollar makes the pricing very attractive for U.S. students. I may get a little flak for the next comment but.. for the private license you may find that you get a little more for your money in Canada.
-there are a couple of really good University Programs in the states and if you intend to make aviation your living having a University Degree will help you with employment later on.
-Flight schools rarely tell you everything when they talk about what it will cost. Ask about the cost of medicals, text books, head sets, briefing fees, flight test fees, license application fees, paperwork processing fees etc. etc. etc.
-Look at the equipment the school flies. If the aircraft look poorly taken care of they probably are.
-Ask about the level of experience that the instructors have. Try to avoid young men and women who are in the business just to build time. They will not have a serious interest in your learning or progress.
-Find other customers who have taken lessons from the outfit in question and find out what they think.
-Pay as you go. Do not get sucked into making large deposits into a flight training account. It's often quite difficult to get the money back should you decide to withdraw.
Hope this helps
Phil R.