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Religious Schools Found to Be Racially Segregated

The study shows that, among private schools, there is steeper segregation along black-white lines than between Latinos and whites. White students represent 78% of the nation’s private school enrollment and 64% of public school enrollment. The average black student, if enrolled in a private school, attends a school that is only 34% white; a black student in the public school sector attends a school that is 33% white. For the average Latino student, the figures are 41% and 30%, respectively. Whereas Latinos are more racially integrated than blacks in private schools, they are more isolated in public schools.

Black-white segregation is greatest among Catholic schools, according to the data. Blacks who are enrolled in Catholic schools attend schools that are, on average, 31% white; blacks in non-Catholic religious schools attend schools that average 35% white; and blacks in secular private schools attend schools that average 41% white. Secular private schools are considerably less segregated than public schools.

For Latino students, non-Catholic religious schools and secular private schools are much less segregated than public and Catholic schools. Latino Catholic school students attend schools that are, on average, 36% white; Latinos in non-Catholic religious schools attend schools that average 51% white; and Latinos in secular private schools attend schools that average 50% white. Of Latino private school students, more than two-thirds attend Catholic schools. Segregation levels among Catholic schools are the most significant for Latino students.

The study also revealed that white students are more racially isolated in private schools than in public schools. In private schools, 64% of white students attend schools that are 90-100% white, while in public schools 47% of white students attend schools that are 90-100% white. White students are most isolated in religious private schools, particularly in non-Catholic religious schools, where the average white student attends a school that is 90% white and 69% of white students attend schools that are 90-100% white. In Catholic schools, the figures are 89% and 66%, respectively.

In the southern and the western United States, private schools are much more segregated than public schools. In the South, although 80% of private school students and 58% of public school students in the South are white, black students attend private schools that are, on average, 39% white and public schools that average 36% white. Similarly, in the West, where 65% of private school students and 52% of public school students are white, blacks attend private schools that average 35% white and public schools that are 32% white.

Among private schools nationally, secular private schools have the most racially diverse enrollments and the lowest levels of segregation. Among private schools, non-sectarian schools have the highest rate of minority enrollments (24%, including 11% black, 6% Latino, and 7% Asian). Catholic school enrollments are slightly less diverse (23% minority, including 8% black, 11% Latino, and 4% Asian), while non-Catholic religious schools enroll the least diverse population of students (19% minority, including 10% black, 5% Latino, and 4% Asian).

The higher segregation among religious schools is due in part to residential characteristics, according to the researchers. Most Catholic schools draw students from local, highly segregated neighborhoods. With the absence of any systematic integration mandate, enrollment patterns in these schools usually mirror residential patterns. In addition, unlike most public school districts, religious schools typically do not provide transportation for students, so low-income families rarely have the opportunity to send their children to any private school outside their local neighborhood.

The relatively lower segregation levels among secular private schools may be attributed to broader geographic areas from which to draw students. In some cases, secular private schools actively seek to attract and retain a diverse student population.
Reardon tied the relevance of these findings to recent court decisions regarding the constitutionality of school vouchers.

“With clear evidence of racially specific enrollment patterns and segregation within the private school sector,” he said, “it becomes critical to examine what sort of effect large-scale voucher programs will have on the experiences of children entering those programs. Even under a voucher program, most low-income students in urban areas are not likely to have access to a wide range of private school options. Without more careful attention to issues of quality and equality, voucher plans are likely to simply reproduce existing racial and socioeconomic segregation and inequalities.”