It isn’t about morality.
I have said on other Q’s that what I think is important is a “school” be a good fit for the child. I put it in quotes because I include homeschooling. I don’t think public, private, or homseschool is better or worse than the other, just depends on the kid. It also depends on where you live, and I will say that from my personal observation the towns where the kids with money go to private, the public schools suffer. If everyone was going to the public schools I do think the public schools would be better in those places, but there isn’t a perfect formula for it. Plus, in America schools are run on the local level, so there are so many factors going on at once.
There have been studies that show that pretty much it doesn’t matter where you get your primary or secondary education, good students do well either way. The author of the article talked about not having many AP classes, well I point out that large public schools often have many many more elective choices than private schools.
A neighbor of mine taught math in a Mississippi public school back during desegregation, and she pleaded with the white families not to take their white kids out of the school and put them in that little private school they created. The public school had science equipment and more class offerings, but many of them still did it. Parts of the south have that lingering in their education system. But, now many of the private schools are very good. The private schools are good and the public schools not so much, predominantly filled with minority students who also live in lower income areas. It isn’t always about what classes areoffered, as the author mentions, but about safety. It was talked about where I lived outside of Memphis. The larents never complained much that the black children brought down tests scores or interferred with the level the class was one. They complained about more violence in the school (whether just perceived or true I don’t know) and the parents from lower income having influence on the board members.
Private education often is also a religious education, which many people want for their children, and I can’t see denying them that choice. At the same time, some of the voices from the religious right to dismantle the public school system feels like a way to try to indoctrine more children in religious schools. It also shows a lack of consideration for the poor to have the opportunity for education.