Aug 19, 2019, 12:30 PM
(From Forbes) Last month, Bellwether Education Partners released a data report on private school enrollment trends and costs, as well as offered a closer examination of some different independent school models across the country. The report shows that Catholic schools have declined as a proportion of all private schools; today, they make up about 25% of all private schools, as compared to 35% in 1992. Conversely, nonreligious private schools have seen the inverse trend.
Numerous data sources show the consequences of the closure of Catholic schools on children and neighborhoods, particularly on low- and middle-income families. That is because Catholic schools are, on average, the least expensive private schools in the nation, and closing Catholic schools risks limiting school choice and attenuating the positive effects of socioeconomic diversity, says Mike McShane, director of national research at EdChoice. “If we want private schools to be an option for low- and moderate-income people, we should want to support Catholic schools."
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