Opponents of school choice often assert that expanding educational options will harm public schools in Pennsylvania by “taking dollars” away from them. Some even argue that private schools have lower standards, can refuse students, and that we should instead focus solely on fixing public education.
While well-intentioned, these claims rely on assumptions that don’t reflect the real dynamics of school funding and education outcomes. Data shows why school choice empowers families and promotes accountability, rather than simply draining resources.
1. School Choice Funding Follows Students, Not Institutions
One of the most common myths is that school choice “takes money” from public schools.
In Pennsylvania, public school funding is partially tied to student enrollment. When students enroll in a charter, cyber charter, private school, or another option, the funding formula will slightly reduce the amount a particular school may receive. Nevertheless, a fact often missing from opponents’ rhetoric is that public schools still retain the vast majority of their funding. This means the teacher-to-student ratio improves, and the amount spent per student increases.
School choice simply extends the principle that some money would follow the child to families of all incomes, not just those who can afford to move or pay private school tuition.
2. Pennsylvania School Choice Includes Tax Credit and Scholarship Programs
Pennsylvania already has school choice programs designed to give families additional options, especially those in struggling schools. Two such programs are the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC). However, demand for these scholarships far exceeds available funding, with thousands of eligible Pennsylvania families turned away or placed on waiting lists each year because the programs are capped and underfunded. Giving families these options, especially those trapped in low-performing schools, enhances educational opportunities and directs resources where they help students most.
The OSTC specifically targets children in the bottom 15% of low-achieving public schools, helping eligible students attend participating public or nonpublic schools based on parent choice each year.
3. Private and Alternative School Enrollment Is Significant in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania families are already exercising educational choice in large and growing numbers. More than 282,000 students are enrolled in private and other nonpublic schools statewide, while over 104,000 students attend charter schools, including approximately 64,000 enrolled in cyber charter schools. In addition, homeschooling has grown dramatically, increasing from just over 25,000 students before the COVID-19 pandemic to nearly 43,000 students in recent years.
These numbers show that school choice is not an attack on public education, but a response to real family needs. This is a need that coexists with public schools, relieves pressure on struggling systems, and demonstrates that empowering parents does not harm public schools but helps the entire education ecosystem function better for the sake of children.
4. Accountability Must Be Measured by Outcomes, Not Compliance
A central criticism of those opposed to school choice is that private or alternative schools lack accountability. But this assumes accountability is defined by regulation, rather than results.
In Pennsylvania, school performance data is already publicly available—including standardized test scores, proficiency rates, and graduation outcomes. For years, this data has shown persistent underperformance in many public schools. Yet for families assigned to those schools, transparency alone offers no remedy.
School choice changes that dynamic. When parents are free to act on performance data, accountability becomes real. Schools that serve students well, retain families; schools that do not must improve or lose enrollment. That pressure does not weaken public education—it strengthens it.
By tying transparency to parental decision-making, school choice rewards real outcomes instead of mere bureaucratic compliance and creates incentives for all schools, including public schools, to respond, adapt, and improve.
5. School Choice Does Not Replace Public School Improvement
The idea that school choice “defunds public schools” and stops improvements is backwards. If Pennsylvania truly wants to improve educational outcomes for every child, then parental choice must be part of the solution.
The current public funding system has been found deficient, particularly in poorer districts. In William Penn School District v. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania’s school funding system was ruled unconstitutional for failing to provide equitable resources across districts.
School choice programs create upward pressure on all schools to serve students better because families have real exit options if schools do not improve. That is accountability.
Final Thought
The conversation about school choice in Pennsylvania is not just about budgets. The conversation about education in Pennsylvania needs to be about who gets to decide a child’s education.
Parents deserve real options, meaningful accountability, and transparent outcomes. School choice does not weaken public education, but rather expands opportunities, encourages innovation, and ensures that every child can access a school that meets their needs.
