Boston University study cites state’s private-school growth, public-school decline since COVID pandemic 

A new Boston University study has discovered the most affluent 20% of public-school districts in Massachusetts lost more students than the other 80% combined since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Simultaneously, high-income districts such as Brookline – a town comprising part of Boston’s metropolitan area – have seen private-school enrollment increase from about 13% in 2015 to 18% today, according to Brookline News.

“The pandemic changed the calculus for some parents, who came to favor alternatives to public school that they wouldn’t have otherwise considered,” Celeste Alcalay writes, adding one family interviewed considered COVID-19 a “tipping point” for withdrawal.

“They had already been ‘generally disappointed with the level of academics’ and ‘like many parents’ had been ‘supplementing [their son’s] day-to-day education with Russian Math classes, as well as an online History tutor.’”

‘The best way for her to learn’ 

Boston University researchers Abigail Francis and Joshua Goodman compared current enrollment data to an estimate of what it would have been without the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on five years of pre-pandemic enrollment numbers, they concluded Brookline’s public-school enrollment was 13% lower than projected – “a shortfall of approximately 974 students,” Alcalay wrote.

One of these students includes Danna Perry’s daughter, who was attending middle school when the pandemic hit and was “really struggling” with remote learning, Perry said.

Even though her daughter’s pediatrician recommended moving her to a live classroom, public schools weren’t offering this option in the fall of 2020. Ultimately, Perry withdrew her daughter to attend a private Catholic lab school – Saint Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton.

“That was the best way for her to learn,” Perry said, who is Jewish but decided Saint Columbkille better met her daughter’s needs than her previous school.

“Under normal circumstances, I never would have made that shift in eighth grade, because that’s not a typical year to move your student.”

The Catholic school represented one of “the only financially viable options” for Perry, a single mom supporting two children.

Researchers are still pondering the reasons driving the decline in public-school enrollment. Possible causes include problematic student behavior, challenges with remote learning and stringent safety measures, Alcalay writes. “Those concerns, along with increases in chronic absenteeism, may be part of ‘parents’ perceptions of what’s going on in the schools,’ Francis said.”

On the other hand, private schools offer two major advantages: a close-knit community and “curricular freedom,” said Ioannis Asikis, a recent Boston University Academy graduate.

“In communities like Brookline where college outcomes are a major focus, I think private schools can be perceived as offering a ‘competitive edge’ through smaller class sizes, a wider range of AP courses, sometimes – although not in BUA’s case – or more personalized college counseling,” Asikis added.

“That perception feels especially important today, as we’re seeing selective college admission processes face increased scrutiny, such as the return of test mandatory policies and the rollback of affirmative action.”