What Trends in Private School Enrollments, Demographics, and Infrastructure Tell Us About School Choice Policies

• In Event: 56.047 - Examining Charter School Trends in Enrollment, Placement, and Location

Abstract

This study examines enrollment, percentage of minorities, and number of grade levels in private schools from 1990 through 2012. The study asks: What changes have occurred in the private school population since the proliferation of school choice? This study sheds light on an important issue in the efficacy of choice—the capacity or supply of private schools. We use data from the PSS, ELSi, and decennial census to compare private school trends in choice states to those in nonchoice states. Results from fixed effects regression analyses indicate the trends in enrollment, grades offered, and racial/ethnic composition in private schools under conditions of choice either did not differ significantly or differed only trivially from schools operating without the presence of choice.

Authors

• Dick M. Carpenter, University of Colorado

• Rebecca Keith, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs

• Rebecca Theobald, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs

• Drew Catt, EdChoice