Private Education and the Public Interest
A Message from the California Association of Private School Organizations (CAPSO)
Private schools are partners in the education of the public.
California’s private schools currently educate 480,000 students representing nearly 8% of the state’s total K-12 enrollment. More than one out of every five K-12 schools in California is a private school. Private schools provide students with knowledge, skills and values that are essential for productive and responsible participation in a democratic society. Graduates of California’s private schools make significant contributions to every aspect of life in the state, often distinguishing themselves for their social, cultural, economic, scientific, academic, legal, religious and political achievements and leadership. Whatever their particular orientation, California’s private schools uphold and promote the values of public participation and service to community.
Private schools are diverse and pluralistic.
American private education reflects the diversity that is a hallmark of our country’s strength, freedom and creativity. Private schools span the ideological gamut, from Society of Friends (Quaker) schools to military academies, include parochial schools associated with multiple faiths and denominations, and feature an array of non-sectarian schools with differing philosophies of education, visions and missions. Private schools are urban, suburban and rural, large and small, progressive and traditional, religious and secular, independent and networked in various associations. In short, private schools offer parents and students a broad and meaningful range of educational options.
Private schools set high standards and assure direct accountability.
For all their diversity, private schools share a number of essential characteristics in common. Chief among these is the fact that private school enrollment is always a function of choice. This means that the relationship between families and the schools they choose is strictly voluntary. If a private school fails to meet or exceed the expectations of the families it serves, the option of withdrawal and enrollment in other private or public schools can always be exercised. Competition for scarce resources in an open market environment dictates that private schools establish and maintain high standards and commit themselves to the constant pursuit of excellence. The very nature of private education promotes direct accountability of schools, teachers and administrators to the parents and students they serve.
Private schools contribute significantly to California’s economy.
What would the cost to California’s taxpayers be if private schools were to disappear? For the 2016-17 school year, the state’s per-pupil spending figure for K-12 public schooling (from Proposition 98 funds) was $12,648. Multiplying this figure by the 470,000 students enrolled in California’s private schools results in an additional cost to the public in excess of $6 billion dollars. Even if half of the state’s private school students could be absorbed by existing public schools, it is conceivable that as many as 400 new public schools would need to be constructed or purchased in order to receive the remaining half, resulting in a staggering level of long-term, public indebtedness.
Not only do California’s private schools save taxpayers billions of dollars every year; private school families help foot the bill for public education through their own tax dollars. Moreover, private schools provide tens of thousands of jobs, generate revenue for local businesses and, most importantly, develop the human capital necessary to assure California of a bright economic future.
Private schools achieve the kind of results California needs.
High standards and direct accountability to students and parents produce positive results. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) has assembled a collection of test results, research findings and reports that attest to the consistent performance of America’s private schools.
Civic minded, fiscally responsible, socially and philosophically diverse, accountable and high achieving. These are California’s private schools—truly partners in the education of the public.
About CAPSO
CAPSO is a statewide consortium of private school service agencies and administrative units whose 24 members represent nearly 80% of California’s private school students in grades K-12. Through over forty-five years of information and resource sharing, CAPSO has built collegial relationships among a diverse array of religious, non-sectarian and special education private schools. CAPSO is recognized by the California Department of Education and is the California affiliate of the Council for American Private Education (CAPE).
