Pre-pandemic observations in K-12 education, which were exacerbated by Covid-19 pandemic (Manhattan Institute, 2023):
 

• 3x as many students are enrolled in private (religious and independent) schools than in public charter schools in New York State

• 28% of families in New York City seek alternatives to public school, choosing private or public charter schools

• 72% of  NYC families are in district public schools

• From 2000-2019, NYC has seen a 12% decrease in private school enrollment, but a surge of charter school enrollment–a whopping 6,434.7% increase. 

• 66.9% of white students, 12.6% of Hispanic students, 10.2% of black students, and 5.7% of Asian students attend private schools in NYC.

• 4.3% of white students, 39% of Hispanic students, 51.7% of black students, and 2.7% of Asian students attend public charter schools.

• At 40.9%, Hispanic students are the largest demographic of students that attend public district schools. For context, black students are the second largest at 22.3%.

• The vast majority of families fall within the “Below $50K”, “$50-$99.9K”, and “$100-149.9K” income brackets. As a result, “70% of private school students are in areas with a median income below $100,000.”

• Breakdown of private school affiliation in NYC: Jewish is 43.6%, Catholic is 30.0%, Independent is 19.3%, and other (which includes Christian denominations) is only 7.1%.

• Nationally, between “2019 and 2023, 264 new classical schools were started. This occurred with an average 4.8% growth rate of new schools per year. In addition to the new classical schools launched during this period, existing classical schools experienced enrollment increases” (Ingraham, 2024).

​

Summary

Many families in New York State seek alternatives to public school education and choose private or public charter school options. In NYC specifically, the cost seems to play a huge factor in the choice of alternative education since private school enrollment has decreased, but public charter school enrollment has surged, particularly among black and Hispanic student populations. Since most families who choose private schools fall below the $100K income bracket, the shift to public charter education makes sense. Additionally, Christian private school options in NYC are sorely lacking since they fall within the 7.1% “other affiliation” for private schools in NYC, which can include other religions like Islam. Finally, interest in classical education is growing across America and New York City boasts only one classical school located in a wealthier neighborhood in Manhattan.