Reasons for this trend, may well include the lack of a threat of a draft and more opportunities to cross the boundary line between the Amish and the non-Amish worlds. Living in or near towns, and variations in severity of Ordnung, also affect the decision to leave the Amish. Amish schools appear to be an important factor in maintaining the Amish way of life. Persons who have attended these schools are less likely to defect than are those who have gone to public schools. Amish schools surely reinforce values that are at the core of the Amish way of life.
Schools are also important boundary-maintenance institutions.