School choice programs have proliferated around the world since the 1980s. Following this international trend, the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) was launched in 1991 to revitalize Hong Kong's private school sector. DSS schools receive a similar subsidy per student to that received by aided schools, but they may charge fees and have greater control over curricula, entrance requirements, and management than their public school counterparts. Drawing on a number of documents and reports over the period 1987-2006, this article centers on the notion of choice and its related arguments. By revealing the discrepancies between rhetoric and reality, it shows how a policy purporting to appeal to choice, diversity, and competition undermines equality, community, and democracy. Under the provision of DSS, the benefits some parents and schools enjoy by being afforded more choices are often achieved at the expense of fewer choices for others.