An analysis of the private and parochial schools in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area reveals the following:
- Private schools in Washington and sur‐rounding areas charge less on average than the D.C. public school system spends per pupil.
- The D.C. public school system, which has suffered from overspending and budget deficits in the last few years, could find its enrollment reduced by almost 10 percent as a result of a voucher program.
- Private schools in Washington could immediately accommodate about 2,925 students now attending public or charter schools. Allowing all independent and parochial schools in the Washington metro area to participate in a school choice program could add almost 3,500 more spaces, since there are more than 6,000 seats available in local, nonpublic schools.
