It may come as little surprise that private schools serve their students well, but thanks to the competition they create, private schools also consistently help raise the bar for area public schools as well.

That is one of the points made by Ben DeGrow, director of education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, in a recent online debate forum hosted by WalletHub. In his essay, DeGrow makes the case for expanding educational choice to better serve all students.

The debate focused on the merits of private schools, which DeGrow noted are often able to meet the needs of marginalized students while satisfying parents.

Here in Michigan, schools are more expensive to operate and the scales are tipped heavily against private schools by a state constitution that denies the possibility of indirect government support. Nonetheless, a combination of corporate work partnerships and philanthropy help low-income families afford Detroit Cristo Rey High School, which increases students’ chances to graduate college and succeed in life.

DeGrow added that studies have found private school students are more likely to be more tolerant, volunteer, be politically engaged, stay out of trouble and graduate on time than students in public school.

Read DeGrow’s full argument on WalletHub.

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