According to a study published in Policy Studies Journal, religious private schools in Milwaukee’s school voucher program are outperforming secular private schools. The success of religious private schools has a lot to do with their affiliations with larger institutions.
“We find that 41 percent of all private voucher schools operating in Milwaukee between 1991 and 2015 failed,” the study’s authors write. “Start-up voucher schools, and those unaffiliated with a larger institution, have comparatively higher failure risk over time.”
On average, start-ups that failed did so after 4.3 years. Being a start-up school increased the risk of failure by 332 percent. But having a religious affiliation helps. For example, Lutheran affiliation reduces the risk of failure by roughly 67 percent. Religious private schools often have a base of interested students based on their religious affiliations.
More than 27,000 students participate in Milwaukee’s Parental Choice Program, which gives families vouchers to cover private school tuition up to roughly $8,000 a year.
The study was authored by Michael Ford and Fredrik Andersson.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
