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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Religious schools

Overview

  • Influence: Religious schools
  • Domain: School
  • Sub-Domain: Types of schools
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Likely to have positive impact
  • Influence Definition: Schools affiliated with a religious entity: Protestant, Catholic, Lutheran, etc., and these are often compared to government schools.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 3
  • Number of studies: 112
  • Number of students: 54,060
  • Number of effects: 112
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.23
  • Robustness index: 2

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
The Evaluation Exchange Jeynes Parental involvement and secondary school student educational outcomes: A meta-analysis 2004 Religious vs. public schooling on achievement 15 54,060 15 0.25
Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, Jeynes The effects of catholic and protestant schools: A meta-analysis. 2008 Religious commitment on achievement 41 NA 41 0.19
Peabody Journal of Education Jeynes A meta-analysis on the effects and contributions of public, public charter, and religious schools on student outcomes 2012 Religious Schools 56 NA 56 0.26
TOTAL/AVERAGE 112 54,060 112 0.23
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