More than six per cent of children in Ontario are enrolled in independent (nonpublic) schools. In the 1960s, such independent school enrolments made up a mere 1.8 per cent of the student population. Six per cent might not seem like much, but the long-term trend in Ontario is a steadily increasing independent school population.

This is troubling for some.

That's especially true in the context of the pervasive social problems we face across Canada, and in Ontario specifically. These include a growing distrust that threatens to undo our social fabric, a pernicious instinct to retreat into tribes of 'us' versus 'them,' rising inequality between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots,' failure to participate in civic and community institutions, and an epidemic of social isolation.

These problems make living together in Ontario increasingly difficult.

And on the face of it, increasing enrolment in the so-called elite bastions of privilege that are independent schools seems to be a clear symptom of all of our diseases.

But what if this assumption about independent schools is wrong? What if such education is good for all of us?

The recent Ontario findings in the 2018 Cardus Education Survey are helpful in clearing some of the misconceptions of independent schools. The study looks at public, separate Catholic, nonreligious independent, and independent Christian schools (both Protestant and Catholic).

Controlling for socio-economic background, the survey measures the effect of school sector on graduates. And it reveals that the graduates from all independent sectors, especially the religious ones, are a significant complement to graduates from public schools.

Independent religious school graduates report higher levels of trust in their neighbours, their co-workers, members of their congregations and in complete strangers than their peers who went to public school.

Graduates of independent schools in Ontario also cultivate a diverse network of social relationships. They have strong friendships. While the religious graduates do tend to have closer ties within their places of worship, they also establish a diverse range of social ties with differing political and religious orientations.