Private Schools in the United States: A Statistical Profile, 1993-94 / Characteristics of Students

Characteristics of Students

Seventy-one percent of private school students attend schools in cities or on the fringe of large cities. By comparison, only half of public school students attend schools in these places (table 2.2).
There are substantial regional variations among private schools. For example, Catholic schools are more prevalent in the Northeast and Midwest, Lutheran schools in the Midwest, Jewish schools in the Northeast, NAIS members in the South and Northeast, Seventh-Day Adventist schools in the West, and conservative Christian schools in the South (table 2.1).
Admission requirements were used at many elementary schools and most schools serving secondary students; but schools of different types had noticeably different preferences for requirements. For example, Episcopal schools were more likely to use standardized achievement tests, schools that are members of the National Association of Independent Schools were more likely to look at recommendations and students academic records, and Jewish schools and schools that are affiliated with Christian Schools International were more likely to take religious affiliation into account (table 2.3a and 2.3b).
Almost equal numbers of boys and girls attended private schools. Only about 3 percent of private schools were for boys only, and about 2 percent were for girls only in 1993-94 (table 2.4).
In 1993-94, about 46 percent of private schools had enrollments of at least 10 percent minorities, compared to 56 percent of public schools (table 2.6).