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Education Statistics Quarterly
Vol 5, Issue 2, Topic: Elementary and Secondary Education
Trends in the Use of School Choice
By: Stacey Bielick and Chris Chapman
 
This article was originally published as the Executive Summary of the Statistical Analysis Report of the same name. The sample survey data are from the National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES).
 
 

The National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) provides a comprehensive set of information that may be used to estimate the use of school choice in the United States. Within the United States, school choice is primarily composed of programs that allow students to attend any public school within or outside of their local school district, a magnet or charter school, or a private school, or to be homeschooled. This report examines data from three administrations of NHES (1993, 1996, and 1999) in which parents were asked if their children attended their assigned public schools, public schools that they had chosen, private schools that are church related, or private schools that are not church related, and about their satisfaction and involvement with those schools. The report provides information about trends in the use and users of public schools of choice and private schools and about the outcomes of these choices—parent satisfaction and involvement, and students' plans for postsecondary education. The report also provides a brief analysis of homeschooled students. This report does not answer questions about the availability of public school choice or other school choice programs.

As figure A shows, the percentage of children enrolled in public, assigned schools for 1st through 12th grades decreased from 80 percent in 1993 to 76 percent in 1996 and 1999. The decrease in public, assigned school enrollment was almost completely offset by an increase from 11 to 14 percent in public, chosen school enrollment. Enrollment in private, church-related schools remained relatively stable at 7 to 8 percent between 1993 and 1999, and enrollment in private, non-church-related schools was about 2 percent in all 3 years examined.

Figure A. Percentage of students enrolled in grades 1–12 by public and private school type: 1993, 1996, and 1999
Figure A. Percentage of students enrolled in grades 1-12 by public and private school type: 1993, 1996, and 1999

NOTE: Includes homeschooled students enrolled in public or private schools for 9 or more hours per week.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, School Readiness Survey of the 1993 National Household Education Surveys Program (SR-NHES:1993); School Safety and Discipline Survey of the 1993 National Household Education Surveys Program (SS&D-NHES:1993); Parent and Family Involvement in Education/Civic Involvement Survey of the 1996 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI/CI-NHES:1996); and the Parent Survey of the 1999 National Household Education Surveys Program (Parent-NHES:1999).

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The trend away from public, assigned school enrollment and toward public, chosen school enrollment between 1993 and 1999 was most evident among students from low-income households.1 Between 1993 and 1999, the proportion of 1st- through 12th-grade students whose household income was $10,000 or less who were in public, assigned schools fell from 83 percent to 74 percent (this decrease was mostly offset by an increase in public, chosen school enrollment). In contrast, over the same period, the proportion of 1st- through 12th-grade students from households with incomes of more than $75,000 attending public, assigned schools remained relatively steady at around 70 percent. No differences were detected in the proportion of students in this high-income group attending private schools between 1993 and 1999. Students from families with higher incomes were overall more likely to attend private schools than were students from families with lower incomes.

Other student and family characteristics were also associated with school choice. In each of these years (1993, 1996, and 1999), Black students in the 1st through 12th grades had a higher rate of enrollment in public, chosen schools than did White or Hispanic students. Generally, a greater percentage of 1st- through 12th-grade students living in urban areas attended public, chosen schools and private schools than did students living outside urban areas.

In all three survey years, a higher percentage of 1st- through 12th-grade students living in two-parent households were enrolled in private, church-related schools than were students living in one-parent households. Students whose parents possessed at least a bachelor's degree had a higher rate of enrollment in private schools, both church related and non-church related, than students whose parents had obtained at most a high school diploma, a GED, or less. First- through 12th-grade students with disabilities attended private, church-related schools at a lower rate than did students without disabilities. There were no differences detected between students with and without disabilities for other types of schools.

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Homeschoolers are not mirror images of students in either public or private schools, differing from both in a number of characteristics. Homeschoolers differed from students in public schools in that their parents tended to be better educated. Homeschoolers were more likely to be White and to live in two-parent households than were students in public assigned or chosen schools.

Homeschoolers differed from private school students in fewer ways than they differed from public school students. Homeschoolers were less likely than private school students to live in households with annual incomes over $75,000. They were also less likely to live in the Northeast and inside urban areas and more likely to live in rural areas.

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School choice makes a difference in parent satisfaction. Parents whose children attended either public, chosen schools or private schools were more likely to say they were very satisfied with their children's schools, teachers, academic standards, and order and discipline than were parents whose children attended public, assigned schools. Parents whose children attended private schools were more involved in activities at their children's schools than were parents whose children attended public, assigned and public, chosen schools.

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According to parent reports, at least 9 out of 10 6th- through 12th-grade students had plans for postsecondary education after high school regardless of school type. However, more students in private, church-related schools were expected by their parents to graduate from a 4-year college than were public school students. There were no differences detected in parents' expectations between public, assigned and public, chosen schools.

Footnotes

1 Income data are categorical and have not been adjusted for inflation. Hence, they do not reflect the same purchasing power for the 3 years. Independent analyses not shown here indicate that the patterns found for unadjusted income are the same as those found using a measure of poverty, which adjusts for inflation.

2 Questions about satisfaction and parental involvement were asked only of parents of students in grades 3–12 in 1993. For this reason, discussion of satisfaction and involvement is limited to students in grades 3–12.

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Data source: The NCES 1993, 1996, and 1999 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES).

For technical information, see the complete report:

Bielick, S., and Chapman, C. (2003). Trends in the Use of School Choice (NCES 2003–031).

Author affiliations: S. Bielick, Education Statistics Services Institute; C. Chapman, NCES.

For questions about content, contact Chris Chapman (chris.chapman@ed.gov).

To obtain the complete report (NCES 2003–031)
, call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877–433–7827) or visit the NCES Electronic Catalog (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch).

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