Public school teachers send kids to private schools more than the general public

posted June 27, 2005

Public-school teachers are more likely to use private schools than the average Ohio family. [1] 

15.2 percent of Ohio's public-school teachers sent at least one child to private schools according to census data. [2] In contrast, 14.7 percent of Ohio's general population sent their children to private schools. [3] 

Teachers living in Ohio's big cities are even more likely to use private schools.

In Cleveland - home to one of the state's lowest performing school districts - 39.7 percent of the public-school teachers living in the city sent at least one child to private school. [4] The average rate for non-teacher families was significantly lower: 25.2 percent. [5] 

In Akron, public school teachers used private school at twice the rate of all families living in the city. The rate for public-school teachers in Akron was 27.9 percent. [6] For the general population, the figure was 14.0 percent. [7] 

Columbus had the lowest rate among big cities for public-school teachers choosing private schools (21.5 percent). [8] Still, this rate was substantially higher than the average for all Columbus families (15.5 percent) and above the statewide average of 14.7 percent. [9] 

Some members of the public-school establishment have suggested that the analysis of each city (not the overall statewide analysis) should include public school teachers who live in the suburbs, but teach within the city. [10] This would raise the overall percentage of the teachers sending their children to public schools for each city.

However, this would hide the fact that many teachers living within our cities do not send their own children to city public schools and in fact send their kids to private schools at a much higher rate than the general public.

Notes

[1] Analysis of unpublished Census Data in Denis P. Doyle, Where Connoisseurs Send Their Children to School: An Analysis of 1990 Census Data to Determine Where School Teachers Send Their Children to School (Washington, D.C.: Center for Education Reform, May), 1995.

[2] Ibid., table 10, p. 10. Private-school teachers enrolled their children in private schools at a higher rate than teachers in public schools and Ohio families: 30.8% of private-school teachers used private schools to educate their children.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., table 19, p. 21

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] See the response by Ronald E. Marec, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, in "Teachers Dispute Charge of Hypocrisy," The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Letter to the Editor, January 30, 1996.