Investigative Group

Joe Biden Touts Opposition To School Vouchers, Despite Sending Sons To Posh Private School

Vice President Joe Biden swears in CIA Director John Brennan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, March 8, 2013. Brennan was sworn in with his hand on an original draft of the Constitution that has George Washington's personal handwriting and annotations on it, dating from 1787. Members of Brennan's family stand with him. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.Ê

Former Vice President Joe Biden took a stand against school choice vouchers Wednesday, despite that he chose to send both of his sons to a posh private high school in Delaware.

“When we divert public funds to private schools, we undermine the entire public education system. We’ve got to prioritize investing in our public schools, so every kid in America gets a fair shot,” he wrote in a tweet Wednesday night. “That’s why I oppose vouchers.”

Biden’s stance on vouchers was an open question until Wednesday night; before his tweet, a Washington Post tracker on each candidate’s position on vouchers categorized Biden as “unclear” on the issue.

School vouchers generally allow lower-income students to put state dollars meant for their education toward private schools. Voucher proponents say it’s a way for lower-income students to escape troubled public schools for private schools that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.

Despite Biden’s opposition to vouchers, when it came time to send his two sons to high school, he chose the private option.

Beau and Hunter Biden both went to Archmere Academy in Delaware, the same private high school that Joe Biden attended. One year of tuition at the Catholic high school in 2020 costs $28,800, according to the school’s website.

Joe Biden’s campaign didn’t return a request for comment. The former vice president isn’t the only 2020 candidate to oppose school choice despite choosing a private education for their own child.

Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has vowed to crack down on school choice if elected, even though she chose to send her son, Alexander Warren, to an elite private school.

Elizabeth Warren also falsely denied sending her son to private school when pro-school choice activists asked about it after a campaign event in November.