Growing up in New York City, I can proudly say that I attended public school from kindergarten through high school, and I think that many people in the city fail to realize the value of free education. We have the largest public school system in the country, and as cost of living increases, the city’s ability to keep public schools free will be crucial to the long-term success of the city.

However, when reflecting on my past experiences, I noticed one thing in particular – my parents made every effort to prevent me from going to my zone school, because there were other schools with more competitive environments available. Access to schools outside your neighborhood lets children unlock new ideas, new friendships and new resources that would not have been available at a zone school. When students cannot access this type of environment, it creates future wealth gaps that we frequently observe in the city today.

For instance, if a child growing up in a struggling neighborhood has to attend zone schools, chances are that child will not have the same upward mobility as someone who travels to attend a “better” school some distance away. Because many children are forced to attend public schools in their neighborhood, they are pigeon-holed into their communities, and when those communities struggle over long periods of time, it becomes hard for those attending zone schools in the area to prosper.

Thus, although the zone school system works well to ensure that every child has a right to free education, it also creates scenarios in which that education may not be viewed as sufficient, due to the difference in school quality across different zones within the city.