Religious Schooling and Educational Attainment in the United States

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Patterns and Consequences of School Choice

Abstract

Research shows the important role of conservative religious beliefs and affiliations on educational attainment but lacks definitive quantitative analyses of religious school effects. The school sector and educational attainment literature has focused on Catholic schools, but lacks quality data and consistent findings on more recent cohorts. Using data from a national survey of adults aged 24-39 (N=1505), this study finds that Catholic and nonreligious school compared to public school graduates are more likely to complete a four-year university degree but are no more likely to obtain an advanced degree. It also shows substantial negative effects of evangelical Protestant and home schooling on educational attainment, particularly in terms of advanced degrees, years of schooling, and attending a research university.

Author

• David H. Sikkink, University of Notre Dame