New Survey 17 Percent of Evangelical Teens Aren’t in Public School

More than 1 in 10 evangelical teenagers in the United States are homeschooled and an additional six percent are in private school, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

All total, 17 percent of evangelical teens ages 13-17 are not in public school in the United States – the highest percentage among all Christian groups and more than double that of teens who aren’t affiliated with any religion, the survey found. 

Additionally, the 11 percent of evangelical teens who are homeschooled is the highest among all Christian groups and, again, more than twice as much as that of unaffiliated teens. It’s also nearly double the national average (6 percent).

Five percent of evangelical teens attend a religious private school, and an additional 1 percent go to a non-religious private school.

Among all students, 87 percent attend public school, with 5 percent in a religious private school, 1 percent in a non-religious private school, and 6 percent homeschooled.  

The data was part of a larger survey examining the intersection of faith and public schools. Pew called it the “first large-scale, nationally representative survey asking teens a series of questions about their own practices and perceptions regarding religious expressions” in school. 

The survey was based on interviews with 1,811 teenagers March 29-April 14.