Parents who send their children to private schools are sometimes accused of undermining public education.
These criticisms are unfair. The evidence suggests that increased competition for students from private alternatives doesn’t harm public school quality. They actually improve public school performance. For example, recent research from Florida showed that when a policy change was made that increased access to private schools and improved private school participation rates, the performance of nearby public schools actually improved.
Every parent should weigh the competing factors and choose the school that best suits their child and family without feeling any guilt. The evidence suggests that, if anything, competition from private schools makes public schools better.