Archive · 23 Sep 2026
Survey Finds Wealthy Black Families Choose Private Schools More Often
A new study looked at which families choose private schools in the United States.
It found that richer Black families chose private schools more often than richer White or Asian families.
About 29 out of every 100 high-income Black families used private schools.
The study also found that private-school use generally rose as families earned more money.
Writer Nikole Hannah-Jones once chose a public school for her daughter because she wanted to help reduce school segregation.
She hoped other families would make similar choices.
Later, she said her daughter had difficulty in school, especially with reading.
This story compares the study’s findings with Hannah-Jones’s experience.
A 50CAN study found that 29.1% of high-income Black families used private schools.
The comparable rates were 22.9% for high-income White families and 20% for high-income Asian families.
Private-school enrollment increased with family income across the racial groups surveyed.
Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote that she chose a mostly Black Brooklyn public school to help reduce segregation.
She later said her daughter struggled academically, especially with reading, and called the decision a mistake.
- Who
- The 50CAN education nonprofit, families surveyed by the organization, and writer Nikole Hannah-Jones.
- What
- A study found that high-income Black families had higher private-school enrollment than high-income White or Asian families; Hannah-Jones also discussed her choice of a public school for her daughter.
- When
- The study was dated February 2026, and Hannah-Jones’s essay was published on September 20; the articles do not specify the essay’s year.
- Where
- The survey concerned the United States; Hannah-Jones’s daughter attended a public school in Brooklyn, New York City.
- Why
- The survey examined private-school enrollment by race and income, while Hannah-Jones said she chose public school to help reduce racial segregation.
Collective-good rationale
Individual-outcomes rationale
Reason for choosing public school
Collective-good rationale
Hannah-Jones said she wanted to make educational decisions based on the collective good and help reduce racial segregation by choosing a mostly Black public school.
Individual-outcomes rationale
The article says she later judged the decision to be wrong after her daughter struggled academically, especially with reading.
What school choice should prioritize
Collective-good rationale
Families with similar values could enter underperforming or segregated schools to encourage broader integration, according to the reasoning Hannah-Jones described.
Individual-outcomes rationale
Hannah-Jones’s later account highlights concern about her child’s academic outcomes after attending the public school.
- Organization
- 50CAN, a nonprofit organization focused on education
- High-income Black families
- About 29.1% sent their children to private schools
- High-income White families
- About 22.9% sent their children to private schools
- High-income Asian families
- About 20% sent their children to private schools
- Low-income enrollment
- Private-school enrollment was 3.6% among Black families, 4.2% among Hispanic families, 4.4% among White families, and 5.9% among Asian families
- Hannah-Jones’s school choice
- She chose a mostly Black public school in Brooklyn in 2015
- Reported academic difficulty
- Hannah-Jones said her daughter later struggled academically, particularly with reading