Nobody is entitled to attend a fancy private school, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on their life prospects. Life is truly not fair, and if we actually lived in a meritocracy, the smartest kids would attend the best high schools instead of merely settling for the best colleges. Whether a kid attends a private high school usually has a lot more to do with their parents’ income and saving habits than their own merit. Indeed, some children gain admission to private schools through athletic or academic scholarships, but they are the exception rather than the rule. 

Many middle-class parents make significant sacrifices to enable their children to attend private schools. They live well below their means and hold second and third jobs so that their kids can have the best education possible. These parents don’t have to do this; there isn’t a law that says their kids have to attend private school, but they’re willing to put in the work because this is what’s best for their children, and they’ll stop at nothing to provide that for them.