Choice in education: is Utah's limited number of private schools inhibiting growth?

• Author: Webb, Gaylen
• Position: Business Trends

Utah's human capital--our young, highly trained workforce--is one of the hottest commodities in the state's growing economy. It helps the state remain competitive in recruiting new businesses, provides the backbone for existing businesses to grow and expand, and factors greatly in every aspect of Utah's economic future.

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But many insiders worry that Utah's current K-12 school offerings are leaving Utah's future workforce weak and ill prepared for the demanding, high-tech jobs of the future. Others wonder if the state doesn't offer enough private K-12 educational choices to attract or keep young executives here. Is Utah's relatively limited number of private K-12 schools inhibiting economic growth?

Private School Snapshot

To be sure, many areas of the country have more private K-12 school choices than Utah, but the Beehive State does have a plethora of successful private school offerings. According to PrivateSchoolReview.com, Utah has 186 private schools: 54 high schools (grades 9-12) and 132 elementary schools (grades PK-8). Salt Lake County has the highest concentration of private schools, with 24 high schools and 77 elementary schools.

Overall, private schools are concentrated in Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Weber and Washington counties. Of the 186 private schools listed by PrivateSchoolReview. com, 69 are classified as faith-based, with Catholicism being the predominant religion represented.

Education and Economic Growth

In terms of growing the economy and recruiting businesses and executives to the state, corporate relocation expert Jan Dickinson says whether the available schools are private or public is not nearly as important as the quality of education provided, where the schools rank nationally and what is offered via subject matter. For example, she explains that if a state is looking to attract engineers or high-tech businesses, weak offerings in math and science at K-12 schools--be they public or private--could be a real recruitment turn-off.

As president and CEO of the Dickinson Group, a corporate relocation enterprise based in Portland, Ore., she ought to know. Dickinson is an internationally recognized authority in all phases of corporate relocation and has authored 47 books, including The Complete Guide to Family Relocation.

Dickinson points to the strength of the public school system in a state as the main factor that determines whether there is a need for private schools. "If the public school system is...