Is Education at Public or Private Schools Better for Kids?

By Anna Chan | SF Chronicle | December 5th, 2024

Regarding “Do I send my kid to a private high school? I toured one in S.F. to see if it was worth it” (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, Nov. 13): Private school tuition in San Francisco averages about “$41,000 a year,” a huge price that is unattainable for most working-class families in one of the country’s most expensive cities.

It surprises me that parents are willing to spend this much and flee to private schools with similar or fewer resources, programs, classes and overall equivalent quality as many public schools. 

As a student who attended San Francisco public schools and is now at UC Berkeley, I have faith in our system. The public school system is more than capable of properly educating and caring for our youth. 

Connecting with diverse peers and learning from a wide range of educators was meaningful to me. I’m glad I was not surrounded solely by people who could afford to receive a luxury education. 

The perception of private school’s superiority is a myth and only perpetuates inequality and division within our educational system.

We should be investing in our public institutions to improve them, not abandoning them.