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Private School Universe Survey (PSS)
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Table 17.  Number and percentage distribution of private school students, by school level and selected characteristics: United States, 2005–06
 
School level
Selected characteristic Total Elementary Secondary Combined
Number Percent   Number Percent   Number Percent   Number Percent
Total  5,057,520 100.0   2,551,196 100.0   859,453 100.0   1,646,871 100.0
                       
NCES typology                       
Catholic  2,246,240 44.4   1,549,040 60.7   597,568 69.5   99,633 6.0
Parochial  982,380 19.4   894,786 35.1   66,055 7.7   21,538 1.3
Diocesan  895,840 17.7   589,367 23.1   284,864 33.1   21,609 1.3
Private  368,020 7.3   64,886 2.5   246,649 28.7   56,485 3.4
                       
Other religious  1,884,616 37.3   707,099 27.7   135,631 15.8   1,041,886 63.3
Conservative Christian  823,696 16.3   220,912 8.7   34,163 4.0   568,621 34.5
Affiliated  584,979 11.6   275,804 10.8   58,208 6.8   250,967 15.2
Unaffiliated  475,942 9.4   210,384 8.2   43,261 5.0   222,298 13.5
                       
Nonsectarian  926,664 18.3   295,057 11.6   126,255 14.7   505,353 30.7
Regular  604,383 12.0   174,458 6.8   86,287 10.0   343,639 20.9
Special emphasis  218,123 4.3   110,325 4.3   27,664 3.2   80,133 4.9
Special education  104,158 2.1   10,274 0.4   12,304 1.4   81,580 5.0
                       
Program emphasis                       
Regular elementary/secondary  4,570,280 90.4   2,373,150 93.0   788,832 91.8   1,408,298 85.5
Montessori  90,357 1.8   73,130 2.9   ‡ ‡   16,146 1.0
Special program emphasis  206,102 4.1   72,588 2.8   38,187 4.4   95,326 5.8
Special education  115,663 2.3   12,035 0.5   13,061 1.5   90,567 5.5
Vocational/technical  ‡ ‡   ‡ ‡   ‡ ‡   ‡ ‡
Alternative  66,388 1.3   13,934 0.5   16,902 2.0   35,553 2.2
Early childhood  6,812 0.1   6,359 0.2   † †   ‡ ‡
                       
Size (number of students)                       
Less than 50  236,267 4.7   132,570 5.2   18,690 2.2   85,007 5.2
50–149  763,189 15.1   478,346 18.7   54,861 6.4   229,983 14.0
150–299  1,321,541 26.1   905,328 35.5   104,121 12.1   312,092 19.0
300–499  1,089,541 21.5   641,607 25.1   155,142 18.1   292,791 17.8
500–749  804,744 15.9   307,761 12.1   199,120 23.2   297,863 18.1
750 or more  842,237 16.7   85,584 3.4   327,519 38.1   429,134 26.1
                       
Region                       
Northeast  1,202,783 23.8   623,334 24.4   278,781 32.4   300,668 18.3
Midwest  1,233,266 24.4   769,825 30.2   225,414 26.2   238,027 14.5
South  1,626,304 32.2   632,074 24.8   174,396 20.3   819,834 49.8
West  995,167 19.7   525,963 20.6   180,862 21.0   288,342 17.5
                       
Urbanicity type                       
City  2,142,476 42.4   1,088,022 42.6   431,087 50.2   623,368 37.9
Suburban  1,948,911 38.5   1,065,475 41.8   292,639 34.0   590,797 35.9
Town  365,072 7.2   197,073 7.7   31,832 3.7   136,168 8.3
Rural  601,060 11.9   200,626 7.9   103,896 12.1   296,539 18.0
† Not applicable.
‡ Reporting standards not met.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or missing values in cells where reporting standards were not met. These estimates do not include private schools for which kindergarten is the highest grade.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2005–2006.

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