Catholic School Choice in a Midwestern City: Serving the Poor and Vulnerable

• In Event: Opportunity and Outcomes in School Choice Contexts

Abstract

Parochial elementary schools with high percentages of school choice scholarship students are often viewed as academically inferior and less reflective of traditional Catholic identity. This study, framed using the Catholic school effect literature, examined the relationship between school choice enrollment and both school-level demographics and academic performance. The sample was 9,551 students across 53 Catholic elementary schools within a large Midwestern city. Schools with higher school choice enrollment also had significantly higher poverty rates, greater racial and ethnic diversity, and fewer Catholic-identifying students. Although higher school choice enrollment was associated with lower math and reading scores, it was not significantly related to student growth. These findings underscore the importance of considering demographic context and growth measures when evaluating school effectiveness. 

Authors

• Eric A. O'Brien, St. Joseph Catholic School

• Michael D. Toland, University of Toledo

• David Dueber, University of Toledo