Part 1 — What Difference Does Christian Education Make?
Data-Driven Insights from the 2023 Cardus Education Survey
In a culture often focused on school rankings, test scores, and college admissions, we rarely ask a more fundamental question: What kind of person is being formed through this education?
The 2023 Cardus Education Survey (CES) invites us to consider just that. Drawing on data from nearly 2,400 graduates across the U.S., this study seeks to understand how students from different K–12 sectors—public, Catholic, Protestant, homeschool, and others—are shaped in their beliefs, character, civic life, well-being, and purpose.
The full report, titled School Sector Influence on Graduate Outcomes and Flourishing, is one of the most comprehensive efforts to explore the long-term effects of education on life outcomes—especially from a faith-based perspective.
Who Was Surveyed?
The survey focused on adults aged 24 to 39, offering insight into how school experiences shape adult life years after graduation. Participants represented a diverse mix of backgrounds, with traditional public school graduates making up the majority, followed by graduates of Catholic, Protestant, homeschool, and other school types.
This table from the CES report shows how many respondents spent at least one year—and how many spent most of high school—in each school sector.
A Seven-Part Series
Over the next several posts, I’ll walk through the findings from this study, with a particular focus on what they mean for Christian education. Here's what to expect:
Introduction to the Study (this post)
Perceptions of the High School Experience
Educational Attainment and Employment Outcomes
Civic Formation
Mental Health and Well-being
Faith and Family Formation
Reflections, Areas for Growth, and Next Steps
What Makes This Study Unique?
It follows graduates long after high school to assess how schooling shaped their character, beliefs, social engagement, and life satisfaction.
It compares outcomes across sectors while accounting for background factors like income, geography, and parental education.
It highlights what faith-based schools—particularly Protestant schools—are doing well, while also identifying important challenges and opportunities for growth.
A Glimpse at the Findings
The CES research reveals both encouragement and responsibility for Christian educators and school leaders. Here are a few highlights:
"Graduates of Protestant schools are among the most likely to attend religious services regularly, believe in biblical authority, and report a vibrant personal faith."
"Protestant school graduates are less likely to experience moderate to high psychological distress compared to graduates of other sectors."
"When asked whether their school helped them grow in their relationship with God, Protestant graduates responded more positively than any other group."
"While Protestant and Catholic school graduates report the highest levels of life satisfaction, this difference disappears when controlling for demographic factors."
This last point is important. It reminds us that positive outcomes are not automatic and Christian schools are not without their challenges. Keep in mind that a student’s background, family, church, and social environment all work in tandem with the school experience.
Why This Series Matters
Christian education should never be reduced to simply an academic alternative to public school or a protective “bubble” that shields students from the reality of a fallen world. It should be a place of invitation to discipleship, where biblical truth shapes every dimension of life and learning.
This series is an invitation to explore what’s working—and what can be improved—in the mission to raise up the next generation of Christ-followers and Kingdom leaders.
Up next: Part 2 — Perceptions of the High School Experience
“Christian education should never be reduced to simply an academic alternative to public school or a protective “bubble” that shields students from the reality of a fallen world. It should be a place of invitation to discipleship, where biblical truth shapes every dimension of life and learning”.
This is a strong point. When folks choose it as a bubble, often the perception is that they are “ at least” in a “safer neutral “space. Hence the flood of people escaping COVID limiting schools, only to return to public school once the crisis was over. Return to the secular mess? As many preachers have preached, there is no such thing as neutral. A person is either rowing in a particular direction or the water is going to drift a person at the waters will. When families are not intentionally rowing too, it effects the school culture significantly and the secular current inside a Christian school can definatly create exhausting resistance for those who are intentionally rowing. In my opinion the more Christian schools can feel like an intentional community of believers coming together to row the boat, the more effective is the growth in adults and children alike.