Skip Navigation
IES    
NCES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Menu
Contact
Tools
ED.gov
Newsflash
Search IES

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)
Publications & Products| Data Tools | Staff


Number and percentage distribution of private school students, by school level and selected characteristics: United States, 2011–12

          School level  
  Total   Elementary   Secondary   Combined  
Selected
characteristic		 Number   Percent   Number   Percent   Number   Percent   Number   Percent  
Total 4,494,845 100.0 2,124,106 100.0 757,448 100.0 1,613,291 100.0
 
Private school typology
Catholic 1,928,388 42.9 1,231,734 58.0 560,196 74.0 136,459 8.5
Parochial 728,669 16.2 640,280 30.1 61,001 8.1 27,387 1.7
Diocesan 830,813 18.5 529,818 24.9 259,835 34.3 41,160 2.6
Private 368,906 8.2 61,636 2.9 239,359 31.6 67,912 4.2
 
Other religious 1,676,649 37.3 592,364 27.9 106,893 14.1 977,392 60.6
Conservative Christian 630,557 14.0 145,046 6.8 19,416 2.6 466,094 28.9
Other affiliated 486,746 10.8 204,636 9.6 44,603 5.9 237,507 14.7
Unaffiliated 559,347 12.4 242,682 11.4 42,874 5.7 273,791 17.0
 
Nonsectarian 889,807 19.8 300,008 14.1 90,358 11.9 499,441 31.0
Regular 611,529 13.6 180,129 8.5 62,802 8.3 368,599 22.8
Special emhasis   173,773 3.9 108,348 5.1 15,948 2.1 49,476 3.1
Special education 104,505 2.3 11,531 0.5 11,609 1.5 81,366 5.0
 
Program emphasis
Regular elementary/
secondary		 4,103,932 91.3 1,934,114 91.1 720,252 95.1 1,449,566 89.9
Montessori 88,670 2.0 78,368 3.7 ‡ ‡ 9,629 0.6
Special program emphasis  84,365 1.9 32,499 1.5 11,523 1.5 40,343 2.5
Special education 117,262 2.6 13,444 0.6 13,006 1.7 90,812 5.6
Vocational/technical  ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡
Alternative 44,419 1.0 11,121 0.5 11,531 1.5 21,768 1.3
Early childhood 55,093 1.2 54,560 2.6 † † 533 #
 
Size (number of students)
Less than 50 267,883 6.0 182,683 8.6 16,333 2.2 68,868 4.3
50-149 701,112 15.6 428,617 20.2 47,402 6.3 225,093 14.0
150-299 1,165,283 25.9 746,405 35.1 94,528 12.5 324,351 20.1
300-499 940,949 20.9 511,526 24.1 147,494 19.5 281,929 17.5
500-749 665,253 14.8 200,481 9.4 194,366 25.7 270,406 16.8
750 or more 754,365 16.8 54,395 2.6 257,325 34.0 442,644 27.4
 
Region
Northeast 1,078,014 24.0 492,015 23.2 244,395 32.3 341,603 21.2
Midwest  1,099,838 24.5 643,351 30.3 216,028 28.5 240,458 14.9
South  1,469,996 32.7 541,012 25.5 158,879 21.0 770,105 47.7
West 846,997 18.8 447,727 21.1 138,146 18.2 261,124 16.2
 
Urbancity type 
City 1,900,639 42.3 892,029 42.0 389,023 51.4 619,587 38.4
Suburban  1,672,501 37.2 874,546 41.2 264,184 34.9 533,771 33.1
Town  300,842 6.7 158,287 7.5 27,282 3.6 115,273 7.1
Rural  620,862 13.8 199,244 9.4 76,958 10.2 344,661 21.4
                                 
† Not applicable.
# Rounds to zero.
‡ Reporting standards not met. There are fewer than 15 sample cases.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or missing values in cells with too few sample cases. These estimates include private schools which provide instruction for one or more of grades kindergarten through twelve (or comparable ungraded levels).
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2011–12.

Back Arrow  List of Tables Download Excel Excel File (44 KB) Download SE Excel Excel File (43 KB)

IES    
NCES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Explore the Institute of Education Sciences