In 2018, LeBron James worked with the Akron Public School District to open the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio , with the ambitious goal of giving underserved children a better education . The initiative was a beacon of hope for a struggling community.

I remember the excitement when this school was announced. My grandparents lived right down the road from the school, and I would spend my summer break with them every year. My grandparents live in a rough part of Akron, and I’ve seen firsthand what happens when children don’t have options other than their public school. There was such hope for this school and what it could mean for the community.

Sadly, the reality has not lived up to the hype. According to a recent report, the I Promise School has not produced a single eighth grader who could pass the state math test in the past three years. Its student test scores are in the bottom 5% of the entire state. Despite fanfare and public support from teachers unions, the I Promise School, like many other district schools, has struggled to deliver on the promise of lifting students out of their situation.

James and his foundation took a unique approach when they launched the school. Instead of opting for a charter or private route, this school was created under the authority of and operated by Akron Public Schools.

There are many fundamental problems that plague the public education system, and despite its worthy mission, I Promise was not able to overcome these generational challenges. That’s because national fanfare and an enormous budget are not enough to correct a system that doesn’t want to be corrected. In Ohio and across the country, the public education system lacks innovation and doesn’t allow adaptability and improvement, trapping many students in a cycle of mediocrity. Too many become victims of empty promises.

This problem is why school choice is such a vital solution. Parents need the ability to choose the best environment for their children. Education freedom lets families explore every option available to them, including public schools, private schools, charter schools, and homeschooling.

When families have options, they can find an environment that breeds academic and personal success for their children. Even in challenging, underperforming school districts, school choice makes it possible for students to outperform the system, as a recent study of more than 2 million charter students showed . That’s what happened in my life.

Families who had depended upon James's I Promise School should take hope. Earlier this year, Ohio expanded school choice to every family, allowing every student to tap into education freedom if they choose. With a universal program, there is no need for children to be left behind and stuck in a system that has failed them year after year.

To be sure, the blame lies with the public system and not the philanthropists trying to help, but James's experience shows how difficult it is to overcome systemic problems and lack of flexibility within the public education system. Finding true success requires breaking out of the one-size-fits-all system. Other famous philanthropists are pursuing just that, including Jalen Rose , Pitbull , and P Diddy .

As an Ohio native whose life was changed thanks to school choice, the I Promise experience reminds me of the urgency of making sure every child has the chances I did.

Walter Blanks is an Ohio native, school choice beneficiary, and spokesman for the American Federation for Children.