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Were you contacted about the 2023–24 PSS? Please contact the U.S. Census Bureau pss@census.gov or 1-888-329-5890 for more information. Questions about the survey? Click here for PSS participant information!
Private School Universe Survey (PSS)
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Percentage of private schools with 12th-graders, number of graduates, graduation rate, and percentage of graduates who attended 4-year colleges, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002–03
 
Selected characteristic Percent of schools with 12th-graders in 2002–03   Number of 2002–03 graduates   2002–03 graduation rate   Percent of 2002–03
graduates who attended
4-year colleges
by fall 2003
Total  28.6   295,755   98.1   58.1
               
NCES typology               
Catholic  16.1   146,561   99.1   80.5
Parochial  4.9   17,722   99.3   77.2
Diocesan  18.5   67,780   99.0   77.5
Private  58.9   61,059   99.2   84.9
               
Other religious  33.8   86,341   98.1   55.0
Conservative Christian  48.7   35,752   97.8   52.2
Affiliated  26.8   29,040   98.7   67.5
Unaffiliated  24.0   21,549   97.7   51.4
               
Nonsectarian  32.7   62,854   96.1   51.3
Regular  34.7   48,486   97.8   76.9
Special emphasis  22.4   9,859   95.3   39.1
Special education  45.5   4,509   82.2   16.3
               
School level               
Elementary  †   †   †   †
Secondary  90.0   187,226   98.3   66.8
Combined  66.7 1  108,529   97.8   54.4
               
Program emphasis               
Regular elementary/secondary  27.7   269,994   98.6   64.1
Montessori  1.5   317   98.0   62.9
Special program emphasis  37.4   11,935   98.3   59.9
Special education  42.7   4,788   81.8   16.4
Vocational/technical  ‡   ‡   ‡   ‡
Alternative  47.6   8,540   93.5   37.7
Early childhood  0.0   0   0.0   0.0
               
Size (number of students)               
Less than 50  21.1   6,307   87.7   33.8
50–149  26.9   22,158   94.1   44.8
150–299  24.8   39,473   98.4   65.4
300–499  36.4   54,437   98.8   78.1
500–749  54.1   59,062   99.0   82.6
750 or more  86.2   114,318   98.8   85.8
               
Region               
Northeast  26.8   86,229   97.7   62.4
Midwest  21.8   69,743   98.9   60.5
South  36.3   89,316   98.3   58.7
West  27.4   50,467   97.6   49.9
               
Community type               
Central city  26.9   140,818   98.1   64.3
Urban fringe/large town  28.6   118,146   98.4   58.0
Rural/small town  31.0   36,792   97.5   51.1
† Not applicable.
‡ Reporting standards not met.
1 Includes the schools that were combined in 2002–03, but were elementary in 2003–04 (less than 1 percent).
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2003–2004.

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