I never understood why parents in affluent suburbs with excellent public schools would opt for pricey private education. Even as my son entered kindergarten in 2021, when political and ideological battles were waged on the public education front, I didn’t consider it for our family. At the time, I had just finished paying for expensive, full-time daycare and finally felt free from that cost (at least for one of my two children).

Yet, as more friends pulled their children from public school, I got curious. I began researching non-public school options and why so many families were breaking away from the norm. Many friends were homeschooling or signing up for hybrid schools, but as a working mom, these options weren’t viable for me.