There are believers who heckle Christian parents who dare to send their kids to a public school. I recently put up a social media post that read simply:
If all Christians flee the public school system, it will have no light at all. We are not called to leave the world. We are called to change it.
Some 35,000 views and 342 mostly negative comments later, I became very aware of the vitriol that parents who choose to send their kids to a public school may receive, whether through an online rebuke or the sting of a sanctimonious sneer.
But not all parents can afford to send their kids to a Christian school, nor have the capacity to homeschool them. Others may choose to send their kids to a public school because they truly see it as the best option.
If you choose to send your kids to a public school, here are four action steps you can take to equip them to thrive spiritually.
1. Remember who is responsible for discipleship.
You are ultimately your child’s disciple-maker, not the school.
Jesus commanded us to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). And Scripture makes clear that families have the primary responsibility for their children’s discipleship (see Deuteronomy 6:1–6).
When parents delegate that responsibility, bad things happen. When they embrace it, their kids stand a fighting chance, no matter where they go to school.
Sending your kids to a public school absolutely comes with challenges: unbiblical ideologies, sinful temptations, and cultural pressure. But it also offers a huge opportunity for our kids to build their faith and test their training.
2. Filter every lesson through God’s Word.
Talk about what they learned every single day, and help them measure it by Scripture.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Romans 12:2
Doing this well requires moms and dads who are fully engaged with God’s Word and with their children’s education. It takes parents willing to dig in, ask hard questions, and help their kids understand—and defend—the biblical worldview.
If we can’t teach our kids to learn, discern, and think critically in a public-school setting, then we should probably ask how valuable our discipleship really is.
3. Pray as if it actually matters—because it does.
Pray for your kids relentlessly, every single day.
Pray continually.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
No matter where your kids go to school, cover them in prayer. Only God can flip the switch in their hearts from “off” to “on” spiritually.
So keep praying—for salvation, for spiritual maturity, and for discernment. Prayer is not a backup plan; it’s the primary frontline plan!
4. Help them build a “God squad.”
Help your kids identify other believing students and teachers so they can create a “God Squad.”
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
When kids find others who love Jesus, they can become a force for transformation in their schools. They can pray together, hold each other accountable, and share their faith side by side.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego likely did exactly this as young teenagers. They were forced into a pagan-filled, government-funded school, and they thrived spiritually in spite of it (see Daniel 1:3-8).
And if your kids can find teachers who love Jesus, they become strong allies as well. (My wife taught in public school for 30 years and was a strong encouragement to the Christian kids in her classroom.)
The real question isn’t the school; it’s the calling.
Sending your kids to a Christian school doesn’t guarantee they will serve Jesus. Nor does sending your kids to a public school doom them spiritually.
Prayerfully make the decision God is leading you to make. And however He leads, take responsibility to disciple your own kids and mobilize them to reach their peers for Christ.
After all, a fully equipped young person attending a public school is, in a very real sense, a federally funded missionary.
