But even expensive independent schools enroll surprisingly few students. About 4 percent of children from high-income families are in nonreligious private schools, up only a fraction from 1979. They do choose private education, unlike most in the middle class who seek better public schools by moving to suburbs filled with similar families. Realtors point to test scores and college admission rates, but students from literate families test well even if a school's instruction adds little to how they would perform in any setting. A school's socioeconomic makeup can predict average test scores with startling accuracy.
Some suburban schools are unusually effective, but it's hard to tell which ones.
Nonetheless, moving to a suburb with high test scores is rational, because peers are important. Children tend to excel more when surrounded by others whose families expect academic success. In neighborhoods where most children lack this support, performance can lag even with the best instruction. Across the nation, more workers with city jobs now commute from suburbs, where they send their children to public schools. An exception is a growing class of college-educated couples living in central cities.