A Census of Jewish Day Schools in the United States 2018-2019

Key Findings:

The report identifies two main challenges: the long-term decline in Jewish day school enrollment in many Jewish communities and the increasing costs and declining affordability of quality education, particularly in the Yeshiva World and Chasidic sectors.

Number of Students:

-In 2018-2019, there were 292,172 students enrolled in Jewish day schools, a 14.7% increase since 2013-2014 and a 58.5% increase since 1998.

-Over 20 years, enrollment grew by 107,839 students, largely due to increased enrollment in Chasidic and Yeshiva World sectors, which now account for over 65% of all day school enrollment. Other sectors, such as Community and Modern Orthodox, experienced modest growth, while Solomon Schechter/Conservative and Reform schools saw declines.

Number of Schools and School Size:

-The number of Jewish day schools increased from 676 in 1998-1999 to 906 in 2018-2019, a 34% increase. Most of the recent growth is in the fervently Orthodox sectors, particularly the Yeshiva World, which tends to have smaller schools, especially for boys and high school students.

-Despite some large schools, most Jewish day schools are relatively small compared to public and other nonpublic schools.

Enrollment by School Category:

-The largest enrollment groups are Yeshiva and Chasidic institutions, with 68% of all day school enrollment identified as fervently Orthodox.

-Non-Orthodox school categories (Reform, Solomon Schechter/Conservative, and Community) enroll 30,756 students, about 10.5% of total day school enrollment. Outside New York and New Jersey, non-Orthodox school enrollment is 25,362, or 35% of students in those areas, indicating a significant presence outside these states.

The Geographic Factor:

-Jewish day schools exist in 37 states and the District of Columbia. Most states with significant Jewish populations, such as California, Florida, and Maryland, have seen enrollment increases.

-New York and New Jersey have experienced significant growth. Enrollment in New York day schools increased by 66,611 (64.1%) between 1998 and 2018, while New Jersey saw an increase of 31,839 (177.3%). Nearly all of the total enrollment growth in U.S. day schools over 20 years is attributable to these two states, driven by Chasidic and Yeshiva World schools.

Challenges:

-Addressing the decline in enrollment in large sections of the Jewish community.

-Ensuring sufficient communal resources to manage growing costs and declining affordability of quality education, particularly in fervently Orthodox sectors.

-There are significant financial challenges facing Jewish day schools, especially in New York and New Jersey, where most growth has occurred. These challenges include the need to create additional facilities to accommodate increased enrollment, particularly in communities like Lakewood, New Jersey (home to Beth Medrash Govoha, the largest advanced yeshiva in the world.)