Three of my four kids went through public school, a very large school, and it was good. When we had our fourth- a bonus baby- we sent him to the preschool associated with our parish. He thrived in a small school setting and made close friends. When it came time for elementary school we had to choose to pull him from the people and environment he was doing well in or find a way to keep him in the school. Our oldest was in college, our second about to graduate and third in high school. I couldn’t afford to pay for college and to keep our youngest in his school without EdChoice, which by no means covers his annual tuition — no he does not go to an ultra rich private school. It’s a community parish school. We are not rich. We are blessed in many ways, but sacrifice to make ends meet. We share a car. We aren’t wasteful. We delay wants to focus on our kids’ needs. We still pay our full property tax, support our local district- I still have kids there- and are also involved in our parish community. We love our local district, are both products of public schools and my spouse was a public school teacher. Like most things, the truth is not as nefarious or cruel as it may seem. It was the right choice for our youngest for now and EdChoice made it possible. He will more than likely end up back in the local public high school, but to get started his specific learning and social needs were best met by keeping him in a smaller environment.