Estimating the Demand for Private School Enrollment

Abstract

In this paper we identify some of the key factors that influence the decision to attend private school. We study the variation in private elementary and secondary school enrollment rates at two levels of aggregation: among unified school districts in California, and among census tracts within the San Francisco Bay Area. At both levels of aggregation, we analyze which economic, social, religious, and ethnic characteristics of the groups being studied are significantly related to the private school choice. Whereas other analyses have sought to provide a rationale for government support of private schools in terms of efficiency and fairness, we confine our attention to the task of identifying the factors that account for the varying rates of private school enrollment.