Budget private schools have been hit the hardest by COVID-19 in school education. Budget private schools charge nominal fees, and cater to economically weaker sections across India. Approximately 90 million children from low-income households attend 400,000 budget private schools. As parents struggled to pay fees, many of these schools had to shut down. This has only widened the “disadvantaged” gap between children from different income-classes in India. What should we change for the future? How do we ensure our policies accommodate the new realities? Schools should be recognised as “industry” or as micro, small, and medium enterprises. This will allow them to access bridge-financing to tide over disasters such as the current pandemic. More importantly, this status will encourage commercial investment in the sector and boost quality education for all.