US private schools enrolment

Abstract

Analysis shows that private schools, like public schools, are increasingly segregated by income. In particular, the share of middle-income students attending private schools has declined by almost half, while the private-school enrolment rate of wealthy children has remained steady. Much of the decline among middle-income students is due to falling enrolment at Catholic schools, which have closed in the past 25 years. Meanwhile, private-school enrolment among affluent students has shifted from religious to non-sectarian schools.