Portland parents still choose private school post-COVID
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Enrollment in public schools across Oregon has seen a dramatic decline since the onset of the pandemic, which coincides with a recent rise in private school attendance and homeschooling, new census data shows.
By the numbers: Statewide, 15.9% of students attended private school in 2022, compared with 13.7% in 2019.
- Portland private school enrollment also jumped post-COVID, from 14.9% in 2019 to 16.6% in 2022.
Why it matters: The number of students enrolled in private schools was higher in nearly every state and D.C. in 2022 compared with before the pandemic.
Of note: All states and locals are missing data for the 2020-2021 school year.
Zoom in: Oregon has not collected comprehensive data on the number of students who transferred to or attended private schools during the pandemic.
However, drops in public school enrollment also contributes to drops in resource availability for schools — ie how much money is dedicated per child — but funding varies district to district, per Oregon Department of Education.
The intrigue: Before 2020, Oregon public schools had seen nine straight years of growth.