This paper informs the choice debate by analyzing how parents continue to engage with
schooling after their initial selection, using parent survey and focus group data collected in Nepal
in 2011. I find substantial heterogeneity within and between public and private schools in how
parents engage with their children’s schooling. In particular, the parents who chose smaller
private schools had stronger engagement with the school and their children, were more likely to
voice their concerns, and consequently were more satisfied. In contrast, parents in below average
public schools were highly dissatisfied but had no recourse to action.