While I'm all for the Free Market...you need to mention the natural addendum to this staement: IF one can afford the fees. Because my students are wearing clothes the moms have resewn and re-cut from fabric purchased in surplus stores. I couldn't figure out WHY the girls were wearing cammies or at least US G.I. camo patterns on some really nice looking dresses. A lot of kids join JROTC for the uniforms to wear! You can buy a surplus uniform for about $2.00 in some places. If mom or sister is an accomplished seamstress then nothing is impossible. Such is reality in the inner city. Especially in the little Haiti area of Miami-Dade County.
There are many affordable options on the open market right now. If all education were sold on the free market, there would be many more.
Btw, my eldest was thrown out of preschool because we couldn't afford a second car and couldn't get him to school everyday. (So much for looking out for the "poor"). I live in the suburbs, and, trust me, these people sending their kids to public school here aren't hurting for money.
But, once I was on my own, I began to realize what other options were available. It's amazing what one can find on the free market. Used items. Sales. Bargains. Free items from other homeschoolers no longer using them.
Want your child in a classroom environment? There are homeschool groups meeting and learning together on church property, and the cost is minimal.
Right now, parents look at their tax bills and figure, "Might as well send the kids to public school. After all, we're paying for it." That's why the parochial schools in my area are closing down, one by one. And that's why private schools are so pricey. (They only appeal to the very wealthy, as most other people would rather save money and send their kids to public school).
If all education were sold on the free market, there would be many more affordable options as demanded by people in the lower income brackets.