Private Schools and School Enrollment in Chicago

Although the private share in basic education in Chicago has been declining, partly as a result of Catholic school closings, Chicago still educates a relatively high percentage of its children in private schools. In 2000, the City of Chicago ranked third among the ten largest cities in the United States in the percentage of high school students attending private schools, behind Philadelphia and New York City. Chicago ranked seventh out of the 50 largest cities. About two out of three private school students in Chicago attend Catholic schools. At the national level, about one out of ten students attend private grade schools and high schools. About half of this population is enrolled in Catholic schools. Over time, the private share in education has remained at about 10%, although the Catholic share of this population was much higher in the past—about 90% in 1960.