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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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Number and percentage distribution of traditional PSS private schools, students, and full-time equivalent (FTE)
teachers, by selected characteristics: United States, 2011–12

  Schools   Students   FTE teachers  
Selected
characteristic		 Number   Percent   Number   Percent   Number   Percent  
Total 26,203 100.0 4,432,624 100.0 408,575 100.0
 
Private school typology
Catholic 6,754 25.8 1,926,277 43.5 137,677 33.7
Parochial 2,893 11.0 728,286 16.4 49,309 12.1
Diocesan 2,897 11.1 830,339 18.7 57,880 14.2
Private 964 3.7 367,651 8.3 30,488 7.5
 
Other religious 13,035 49.7 1,658,083 37.4 160,170 39.2
Conservative Christian 4,411 16.8 627,190 14.1 59,034 14.4
Other affiliated 2,842 10.8 483,809 10.9 48,680 11.9
Unaffiliated 5,782 22.1 547,084 12.3 52,456 12.8
 
Nonsectarian 6,414 24.5 848,265 19.1 110,728 27.1
Regular 2,625 10.0 581,340 13.1 69,311 17.0
Special emhasis   2,186 8.3 162,510 3.7 21,927 5.4
Special education 1,603 6.1 104,415 2.4 19,490 4.8
 
School level
Elementary 15,038 57.4 2,061,885 46.5 171,829 42.1
Secondary 2,677 10.2 757,448 17.1 65,178 16.0
Combined 8,488 32.4 1,613,291 36.4 171,568 42.0
 
Program emphasis
Regular elementary/
secondary		 21,486 82.0 4,103,932 92.6 358,928 87.8
Montessori 1,291 4.9 76,903 1.7 10,536 2.6
Special program emphasis  651 2.5 84,126 1.9 10,395 2.5
Special education 1,848 7.1 117,164 2.6 21,703 5.3
Vocational/technical  ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡
Alternative 796 3.0 44,159 1.0 6,477 1.6
Early childhood 125 0.5 5,238 0.1 442 0.1
 
Size (number of students)
Less than 50 8,852 33.8 212,490 4.8 33,883 8.3
50-149 7,623 29.1 698,115 15.7 80,594 19.7
150-299 5,483 20.9 1,164,433 26.3 101,569 24.9
300-499 2,446 9.3 940,465 21.2 78,039 19.1
500-749 1,102 4.2 664,556 15.0 52,889 12.9
750 or more 697 2.7 752,565 17.0 61,603 15.1
 
Region
Northeast 5,985 22.8 1,058,340 23.9 106,133 26.0
Midwest  7,176 27.4 1,089,458 24.6 89,266 21.8
South  8,051 30.7 1,453,483 32.8 141,673 34.7
West 4,991 19.0 831,344 18.8 71,503 17.5
 
Urbancity type 
City 8,557 32.7 1,881,683 42.5 169,223 41.4
Suburban  8,380 32.0 1,639,859 37.0 149,344 36.6
Town  2,669 10.2 298,275 6.7 27,760 6.8
Rural  6,597 25.2 612,808 13.8 62,249 15.2
                         
‡ Reporting standards not met. There are fewer than 15 sample cases.
NOTE: 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.

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