Texas School Choice: Why Families Are Leaving Public Schools

If the public school system truly met the needs of all students, the school choice debate would look very different. School choice isn’t the root cause of public education’s challenges, it’s a response to them.

Rather than pointing fingers at families for exploring other options, we should be asking:

What would it take for those options not to be necessary in the first place?

The Gap Between What We Say and What We Do

We talk about equality, yet we draw school zones in ways that all but guarantee some kids will have better opportunities while others are set up to struggle from day one.

We claim to “meet kids where they are,” yet still use standardized testing that holds every child to the exact same measurement. That means a fifth grader reading at a first-grade level is handed the same test as a peer working well above grade level. The result is predictable and deeply discouraging.

We say we want highly qualified teachers, but the profession is struggling to attract and retain them. Those who are qualified often leave and not because they’ve lost their passion, but because the working conditions steadily drain the energy and creativity that made them effective in the first place.

We say every child learns differently, yet we hand teachers scripted lessons and rigid schedules that leave almost no room for flexibility.

We promise “free, high-quality education for all,” yet ignore the people who know students best, their teachers.

A Teacher’s Day in Reality — And Why It Matters

When you see what a typical day looks like for a teacher, the bigger picture comes into focus.

Every minute is scheduled, every decision is scripted, and every demand pulls them in five different directions. It’s a job built for burnout, and when teachers are stretched this thin, students inevitably feel the impact.

The day starts at full speed — no time to settle in before the first set of tasks begins.

By lunch, the teacher has escorted 20+ students to the cafeteria, confirmed coverage, and squeezed in a quick break — the first chance to step away since early morning.

Recess might be on the schedule for 30 minutes, but transitions cut it down to closer to 20.

Planning periods? Rarely for planning. Instead, they’re spent in meetings justifying why students are behind — often for reasons far outside the teacher’s control.

In the classroom, there’s the constant juggle: advanced learners bored and unchallenged, struggling students acting out to hide it, and behavior disruptions that halt the lesson entirely.

Dismissal is another round of coordination and problem-solving before the teacher heads back to a classroom that still needs cleaning, grading, and documentation — work that often goes home at night.

This Isn’t Just a “Teacher Problem”

It’s a student problem. Overworked, under-supported teachers can’t give every child the attention, creativity, and patience they deserve.

And when the system forces this kind of environment day after day, it’s no wonder families start looking for alternatives.

Why School Choice Exists

School choice is complex and emotional, but one thing is clear:

If the system truly met the diverse needs of students and fully supported the educators who teach them, far fewer families would feel the need to look elsewhere.

Funding flows in, but too often it’s swallowed by bureaucracy instead of reaching the people doing the work or directly benefiting the students it’s meant to serve.

Money isn’t the problem. Misplaced priorities are. And until those priorities shift, families will keep looking for better options, and honestly I can’t blame them.