Privatisation of the state religious education in Israel raises controversy within Israeli society. It is argued that privatisation leads to the abolishing of equality between students, and accusations are heard about the use of religious arguments to create elitist and selective schools. Questions regarding privatisation, the extent and importance of religious versus science studies were examined. Two of the major findings were that almost one-third of the students who comprise the religious educational system in Israel came from non-religious households and a gap was found between parents' demands for privatisation and their educational goals. Social economic status rather than religious demands were found as enhancing school segregation. The need for reorganisation of the religious public education in Israel is discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)