Between 1918 and 1950, Jewish day schools in New York City underwent a remarkable transformation, expanding from just 4 schools with 985 pupils to 66 schools educating 14,705 students - a fifteen-fold enrollment increase despite only a one-third growth in the Jewish population. This dramatic shift marked a turning point in American Jewish attitudes toward religious education, as primarily American-born parents, not recent immigrants, chose religious over secular schooling. Through analysis of historical records, legislative documents, and period surveys, the research traces how Jewish communities navigated the evolution from denominational church schools to public education in America. The findings reveal a gradual disillusionment with public schooling among Jewish families, driven by limited demographic integration in neighborhood schools, concerns about cultural adjustment, and growing recognition that afternoon Hebrew schools failed to adequately transmit Jewish knowledge and traditions. The surge in Jewish day school attendance ultimately reflects both a reassertion of Jewish identity and a maturing American Jewish consciousness. These religious day schools successfully balanced dual purposes: fostering God-fearing citizens while providing more comprehensive Jewish education than the public school-supplementary religious education model could achieve, thereby serving both religious and democratic ideals.