It's more complex than that, though. There's a whole constellation of things that come when a parent chooses a school for their kid, including the kid themselves. Parents are still paying taxes for public schools, but they aren't joining the PTA, donating at the jog-a-thon, sponsoring the sports team, chaperoning band field trips, networking with other parents, etc.. Wealthy parents have a lot of resources they bring to bear and when their kid doesn't go to a public school, the only resource they leave behind is their taxes.