SECTORSWITCHERSWhy Catholic Schools Convertto Charters and WhatHappens Next

breaking down

Private school enrollment has �uctuated over time for

5 REASONS

REASON 1

Financial hardship of families amidst a tumultuous economy makes affording private tuition dif�cult.

REASON 2

The shift from clergy educators to lay teachers has made school operations more expensive. That increased cost is re�ected in tuition rates.

Many of the private schools in urban centers are Catholic. A demographic shift in urban areas away from predominantly Catholic immigrant populations has affected demand.

REASON 3

REASON 4To keep tuition rates low, Catholic schools subsidize operation costs with contributions from parishioners. In recent decades acrossthe country, religious giving as a percentageof personal income has decreased from about1.2 percent of personal income in 1963 to less than 0.9 percent of personal income in 2003.As giving declines, schools must make up for costs in other ways, often raising tuition rates,which inadvertently prices outmany urban families.

REASON 5

Increased competition from public charter schools.

VS.

From 2001 to 2011, the number of private Catholic schools decreased at a rate more than THREE times (15.6 percent) that ofthe previous decade (4.6 percent).

12K

10K

8K

6K

4K

2K

01979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011

SCHO

OLS

9,640 9,401 8,992 8,508 8,250 8,144 7,955 7,378 6,841

A trend among private Catholic schools is emerging in urban centers in response to that increasing decline.

They are switching their status by dropping the religious component and becoming public charter schools

Why?

Those private Catholic schools were going to close for economic reasons, and buildings, devoted educators, and loyal families would be left behind.

“We did not choose charter schools as opposed to Catholic schools; we chose charter schools over empty buildings.”

–Thomas Burnford, Secretary of Education, Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Our researchers

Michael Q. McShane Andrew P. Kelly

examined 18 Catholic schools in three major cities

using a matchedcomparison method

and conducting interviews with individuals

knowledgeable about the decision to switch sectors and the environment at the time.

What didthey �nd?

After switching to a public charter, former Catholic schools began serving more minority students than their private counterparts.

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2

Perc

enta

ge o

f Min

ority

Enr

ollm

ent

Year 0 = Last Year Before Switch to Charter

67%65%

70% 74%

66%

80%

76%

83%

76%

82% 79%

79% 78%

88%93%

Comparison Switcher

Enrollment in switcher schools increased more than schools that remained private.

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0-5-6 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2

Enro

llmen

t

Year 0 = Last Year Before Switch to Charter

Comparison Switcher

245

299

233 224190 203

153

214242

168 153 162 166 177167

151

Schools that decided to convert to charter schools did so based on a number of unique criteria, including percentage of non-Catholic students they already taught, whether the neighborhood had fewer Catholic families, and whether the school needed more resources and facility upgrades.

Some switcher schools remained largely the same, keeping principals and teachers, some changed dramatically.

Some switcher schools offered wraparound religious services to its remaining Catholic families.

Switcher schools reported serving more children with special needs once going charter.

Rent, which the archdiocese in D.C. charges the converted charter schools ($3.2 mil they paid combined in 2011), has resulted in increased funds for the church to support local parishes.

a substantial portion ($900,000/year) of which went toward tuition assistance for students in remaining Catholic schools.

In Indianapolis, the $1 mil of support the archdiocese provides as tuition

assistance for Catholic schools gets split among four schools now instead of six.

Comparable schools that remained private Catholic report seeing very few students leave the switcher schools to

attend their Catholic school.

Is “switching” the right term?

The Catholic schools that became public charters don’t consider that action “switching.”

-Beth Flaufus, president of a Washington D.C. Catholic school,said her school could never “switch” or “convert” to a charter school, as its Catholic identity is central to its mission. “It is not an element,” she said. “It is the reason we do what we do.”

How could Catholic schools have avoided closing during a socioeconomic shift in their communities?

Most schools said: If a #schoolchoice voucher program with strong funding

existed in their states, more families who already desire their school would be able to afford tuition—increasing enrollment

and resources to serve them.

Download the full reportfor more details at

edchoice.org/SectorSwitchers