Greater share of San Antonio kids heading to private school
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An increasing share of San Antonio students are heading to private schools.
Why it matters: The changing school demographics throw into relief the challenges faced by public schools in San Antonio's urban core to attract and keep students.
- A swath of districts are closing campuses, citing a dearth of students.
The big picture: Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing to give some families taxpayer money for private education.
- And he's one step closer to achieving that goal after last week's primary election, in which half of the challengers endorsed by Abbott defeated incumbents opposed to vouchers.
By the numbers: In 2010, 9.8% of San Antonio students attended private schools.
- By 2022, the share was 13.7%, per the latest available U.S. Census Bureau data.
- There are at least 82 private schools in Bexar County, according to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
State of play: Education officials have said a lack of affordable housing and declining birth rates in San Antonio's urban core have led to fewer families with school-aged children living in the attendance areas of districts like San Antonio, Edgewood, Harlandale and South San Antonio ISDs.
- All have voted in the last year to close schools — in SAISD, as much as 16% of the district's campuses are closing this year or next.
- There's also a growing charter school presence in San Antonio for public schools to compete against.
Yes, but: Even as San Antonio ISD has seen an almost 15% decrease in enrollment since 2016, it still educates more than 45,000 kids.
What they're saying: Spokespeople for San Antonio ISD did not respond to multiple requests for comment on how private school enrollment could affect the district's enrollment.
Zoom out: The trend in San Antonio comes as Texas generally has seen public school enrollment rebound.
- In the 2022-23 school year, more than 5.5 million students were enrolled in Texas public schools, an increase of 1.7% from the 2021-22 school year, according to a Texas Education Agency report released in September.
- Enrollment statewide increased between 2021-22 and 2022-23 for the largest racial/ethnic groups other than for white students, whose enrollment fell by 11,001 students, or 0.8%.
Between the lines: The growth in the share of San Antonio kids going to private schools comes as the city slowly becomes wealthier.
- In 2022, 5.7% of San Antonio households had incomes of over $200,000, per Census Bureau data.
- In 2010, that number was 2.5%.
What we're watching: The trajectory of San Antonio public school enrollment in the coming years.