What can be done to stem the high dropout rate?
We can learn from the 7–10% of religious schools—about 50 in total—that retain more than 80% of students through 12th grade. While they vary considerably in size and location, they have several key factors in common. First, congregations with early childhood programs whose students continue through third grade before beginning bar/bat mitzvah studies have a much higher retention rate than those in which students enter school to start preparing for bar and bat mitzvah in grade four—an approach that practically assures students’ leaving after the seventh grade. A second factor concerns friendships. Jewish education is intrinsically social. Children who form a close peer group in a Jewish learning environment are much more likely to stay involved. Third, in congregations with high retention rates, parents overwhelmingly indicate that they either “required or strongly encouraged their children to participate in Jewish learning beyond bar and bat mitzvah.” Inversely, in congregations with a
