Study Affirms Middle-Class Decline in Private Schools

(from EducationNext) Confirming what many independent schools have reported for some time, a broad analysis of enrollment and family-income data finds that a shrinking percentage of middle-class families are sending their children to independent schools, especially at the lower grade levels. The analysis, drawing from at least six major federal surveys and databases, notes that the share of middle-income students attending private schools declined by almost half in the last half-century. Enrollment among wealthier families has remained steady, but their dollars have shifted from religious to nonsectarian schools.

Other findings:

• From the late 1950s until 2013, the percentage of children in grades 1 through 8 attending private schools fell from almost 15 percent to less than 9 percent.
• Over the same period, enrollment for white students at private schools decreased from 16 percent to 11 percent. Enrollment for Hispanic students dropped from 13 percent to 3 percent.
• Private school enrollment in grades 9-12 has held relatively steady since 1970.
• Income inequality has grown significantly. Between 1975 and 2010, the average income of families in the 10th percentile declined by 11 percent. The average income of families in the 90th percentile increased by 57 percent.
• At Catholic elementary schools, the enrollment rate among middle-income families fell from 7 percent in 1987 to 3 percent in 2011.