Religious Schools: Selection Practices of Religious Schools

It is commonly believed that religious based schools deliberately select students to increase their scores in regional testing. While this may be the case in rare instances, generally there is no validity to this claim. But where does the claim come from?

Most religious schools have very limited space available to students. Often there is a waiting list for placement in a religious school. There are many reasons for this high demand when compared to the spaces available. The fact that many people are loosing faith in the public education system is one reason. Another is that there is generally a much lower student-teacher ratio in religious schools. Of course high academic ratings also attract a large number of applicants, as does the idea that a religious school may suit a child who is struggling socially in the public system.

In order to fill the limited spaces available the schools generally have some kind of screening process for new students. Often priority is given to family members of existing students before new students will be considered. From there a number of things are considered before a student is accepted.

Initially there will likely be far more applicants who are well off financially. This is because the government generally does not support religious schools and parents are expected to pay for tuition. There are some applicants who are from middle class families, generally those who prioritize a religious education over other luxuries they may have otherwise afforded. Only a few lower class individuals will attempt to join religious schools as they will not likely consider that there is any way they can financially manage the costs of paid tuition. Many schools do offer scholarships for students from families that cannot afford tuition, often allowing a specified number of such students to enter the school each year.

There will likely also be a limited range of students from different cultural backgrounds. Because many cultures are centered around a religion most of the applicants to religious schools will come from the culture that supports that religion. Cultural background is not necessarily a criteria that defines entry into a religious school, but there are fewer chances for a child from a different culture to be admitted as there just are not that many students from other cultures asking for entry.

Many religions do not support divorce or broken families. There are probably more two-parent families in religious households than in the general populace. In addition to this, most single parents struggle with day-to-day expenses and cannot afford the extra costs of private religious education. Because of this there will be less applicants from broken families.

It has been shown that students who are from unbroken homes with a moderate to high standard of living and who are not from a culturally depressed origin are likely to be higher achievers in school. The vast majority of students who are applying to religious schools fit into this already advantaged group.

Screening processes at religious schools also consider religious background for admittance. While some religious schools will admit a child from a household that does not follow its religion, most will not. It defeats the purpose to teach religion to a child at school only to have those efforts torn apart at home where the parents have different beliefs.

So due to the demographics of those applying to religious schools and the religious homes that they generally come from it is not surprising that it appears that only children with excellent scores are chosen. Of course, this is not the case, with underprivileged children receiving scholarships and parents of children with difficulties selecting religious schools for their supportive and structured environments. In fact it is these children who have been shown to benefit the most from education in a religious setting.

Students at religious schools are successful for a wide range of reasons. They are not pre-selected for success, although they may from backgrounds that are predisposed to high academic performance. Religious schools, like all schools have a mixture of students who benefit from solid educational practices, small class sizes and strong moral backing to the educational process.