Private Religious Schools
The first schools in the United States integrated religious material into the curriculum, so from the beginning one could argue there have been faith-related, if not faith-based, schools. This chapter reviews the history and development of faith-based private schools in the United States. Proceeding in essentially historical sequence, the authors trace the development of these schools from Protestant elementary and secondary schools to Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Islamic schools. The authors demonstrate how this nonpublic collection of faith-based educational entities accommodated burgeoning religious and cultural communities. Present and future challenges facing US faith-based private schools are discussed.