Christian Headlines Blog Christian Blog and Commentary

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

Study Claims Christian Schools Produce Better Citizens than Public Schools

  • Russ Jones Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
  • Updated Sep 19, 2014

An education think tank has released a new study that maintains Christian schools produce better citizens than public centers of education. 

The March 2014 research produced by Cardus Religious Schools Initiative at the University of Notre Dame says students in Christian schools don’t “foster an attitude of isolation” like some critic’s claim.

“Adult graduates of Evangelical Protestant, Catholic, non-religious private, and public schools were all as likely to have a close friend who was an atheist or of a different race,” Ray Pennings wrote in Christianity Today. 

Pennings, who is a co-founder and Executive Vice-President of Cardus and led the research project, contends the primary difference between Christian and public school students is their circle of friends.

“Evangelical Protestants were marginally less likely to have a close gay or lesbian friend—about 57 percent of evangelical Protestant graduates, compared to 69 percent of public school graduates, report a friend or relative who is gay or lesbian.”

The study also found Evangelical Protestant students are more regular church attenders, get married earlier in life, have more children, divorce less and widely contribute to the communities in which they live.

Publication date: September 19, 2014