Who Choose Private Schools in a Free Choice Institutional Setting? Evidence from Milan

The issue of school choice is a much-debated topic. Literature highlighted both its advantages for families and the critical issues generated by the actual choices of parents. The choice of private schools is a peculiar form of school choice because it often also implies the payment of fees. By focusing on primary schools, the article analyzes the socio-economic and ethnic composition of private school student-body in an institutional context based on free parental choice such as the city of Milan (Italy). The research highlights that even in a context allowing families free movements in the state system, private schools are a widespread choice by a heterogeneous slice of families, mainly belonging to the middle-upper classes. The factors characterizing these choices are the presence of a high socio-economic intake and the low presence of foreigners in such schools, while performances in standardized tests seem not to be the main driving factor. Finally, even within the private system, there is a tendency towards polarization between the middle and upper classes.