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Digest of Education Statistics
2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 205.30. Percentage distribution of students enrolled in private elementary and secondary schools, by school orientation and selected characteristics: Selected years, fall 2009 through fall 2019
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected characteristic 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019
Total Catholic Other religious Nonsectarian
Total Parochial Diocesan Private Total Conservative Christian Affiliated1 Unaffiliated2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Total 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†)
School level3                                                                                          
Elementary and
    middle
53.8   (0.24) 53.0   (0.23) 53.0   (0.47) 50.5   (0.80) 50.0   (0.55) 48.9   (0.32) 62.7   (0.69) 86.5   (0.27) 67.5   (0.16) 21.5   (1.85) 40.1   (0.49) 20.9   (0.61) 43.9   (0.65) 53.1   (0.91) 43.6   (0.41)
Secondary and high 16.3   (0.12) 16.8   (0.26) 16.4   (0.21) 16.4   (0.27) 17.5   (0.35) 16.8   (0.17) 29.6   (0.27) 7.1   (0.14) 28.4   (0.14) 61.2   (1.55) 7.2   (0.16) 3.8   (0.11) 9.4   (0.11) 8.1   (0.48) 14.1   (0.32)
Other and ungraded 29.8   (0.21) 30.2   (0.24) 30.6   (0.49) 33.1   (0.91) 32.6   (0.47) 34.4   (0.34) 7.8   (0.81) 6.4   (0.13) 4.2   (0.02) 17.3   (3.33) 52.7   (0.44) 75.3   (0.62) 46.7   (0.54) 38.8   (0.77) 42.3   (0.44)

Student race/
    ethnicity4
                                                                                         
White 72.6   (0.20) 71.4   (0.14) 69.6   (0.31) 68.6   (0.34) 66.7   (0.40) 65.6   (0.13) 63.0   (0.21) 65.5   (0.40) 63.5   (0.27) 59.1   (0.11) 71.1   (0.23) 68.6   (0.39) 73.2   (0.26) 71.6   (0.64) 60.6   (0.19)
Black 9.2   (0.07) 8.9   (0.06) 9.3   (0.27) 9.3   (0.31) 9.3   (0.23) 9.4   (0.07) 8.3   (0.14) 6.8   (0.18) 7.7   (0.05) 11.4   (0.46) 10.3   (0.12) 11.2   (0.22) 8.8   (0.14) 10.9   (0.28) 9.8   (0.05)
Hispanic 9.4   (0.09) 9.8   (0.05) 10.2   (0.11) 10.4   (0.15) 11.3   (0.22) 11.8   (0.08) 17.3   (0.19) 17.1   (0.30) 17.7   (0.24) 16.6   (0.33) 8.1   (0.11) 9.2   (0.18) 7.4   (0.17) 7.7   (0.35) 9.2   (0.06)
Asian 5.1   (0.05) 5.5   (0.03) 5.9   (0.05) 6.2   (0.06) 6.5   (0.15) 6.6   (0.04) 5.1   (0.06) 4.6   (0.05) 5.1   (0.10) 5.9   (0.13) 5.1   (0.05) 5.3   (0.09) 5.5   (0.03) 4.5   (0.11) 11.5   (0.07)
Pacific Islander 0.6   (0.02) 0.6   (#) 0.7   (0.01) 0.7   (0.02) 0.8   (0.03) 0.7   (0.01) 0.6   (0.01) 0.6   (0.01) 0.6   (#) 0.7   (0.02) 0.8   (0.04) 0.8   (0.02) 0.7   (0.01) 0.9   (0.09) 0.7   (0.01)
American Indian/
    Alaska Native
0.4   (#) 0.5   (#) 0.5   (0.01) 0.5   (0.01) 0.5   (0.03) 0.6   (#) 0.5   (#) 0.3   (0.01) 0.4   (#) 1.0   (0.01) 0.6   (0.01) 0.7   (0.02) 0.3   (#) 0.6   (0.02) 0.6   (#)
Two or more races 2.7   (0.02) 3.3   (0.01) 3.9   (0.03) 4.3   (0.08) 4.9   (0.06) 5.3   (0.03) 5.1   (0.05) 5.0   (0.10) 5.1   (0.07) 5.4   (0.09) 4.0   (0.05) 4.3   (0.07) 4.1   (0.05) 3.8   (0.10) 7.6   (0.04)

School enrollment
                                                                                         
Less than 50 5.4   (0.39) 4.6   (0.14) 5.4   (0.47) 5.5   (0.39) 4.9   (0.15) 4.4   (0.08) 0.4   (#) 0.4   (0.01) 0.3   (#) 0.6   (0.02) 6.0   (0.13) 3.7   (0.25) 2.8   (0.09) 10.6   (0.53) 7.4   (0.21)
50 to 149 17.3   (0.18) 16.8   (0.15) 17.1   (0.23) 16.8   (0.40) 16.2   (0.37) 16.6   (0.17) 7.8   (0.26) 9.6   (0.49) 7.7   (0.28) 5.5   (0.19) 19.0   (0.33) 17.1   (0.60) 15.1   (0.53) 23.8   (0.56) 24.8   (0.30)
150 to 299 25.9   (0.17) 26.2   (0.15) 25.5   (0.29) 25.1   (0.49) 25.2   (0.54) 24.8   (0.27) 28.5   (0.49) 37.0   (0.69) 29.1   (0.31) 16.0   (1.71) 24.8   (0.62) 24.5   (0.86) 23.1   (0.49) 26.3   (1.55) 20.0   (0.18)
300 to 499 21.0   (0.19) 21.0   (0.11) 20.4   (0.21) 19.5   (0.49) 20.3   (0.52) 21.0   (0.23) 28.2   (0.43) 34.2   (1.26) 28.7   (0.13) 19.1   (0.51) 18.6   (0.31) 22.2   (0.64) 17.7   (0.72) 16.2   (0.57) 14.9   (0.42)
500 to 749 14.0   (0.09) 15.0   (0.25) 14.5   (0.24) 15.8   (0.97) 14.8   (0.49) 13.7   (0.24) 16.8   (0.16) 14.1   (0.51) 17.4   (0.09) 19.1   (0.51) 12.8   (0.51) 15.0   (1.05) 14.2   (0.17) 9.8   (1.13) 10.9   (0.43)
750 or more 16.3   (0.12) 16.4   (0.29) 17.0   (0.54) 17.3   (0.29) 18.7   (0.34) 19.5   (0.34) 18.4   (0.77) 4.7   (0.10) 16.7   (0.08) 39.6   (2.85) 18.9   (0.49) 17.5   (1.44) 27.0   (0.31) 13.4   (0.31) 21.9   (0.30)

Region
                                                                                         
Northeast 23.9   (0.26) 23.8   (0.27) 22.3   (0.25) 22.9   (0.59) 21.5   (0.37) 20.7   (0.21) 22.2   (0.26) 20.5   (0.53) 20.8   (0.17) 27.4   (0.73) 16.8   (0.46) 7.0   (0.20) 23.8   (0.28) 19.3   (1.12) 24.5   (0.23)
Midwest 23.6   (0.38) 24.0   (0.26) 24.6   (0.64) 24.5   (0.77) 24.1   (0.65) 22.6   (0.22) 33.7   (0.37) 40.5   (0.97) 34.6   (0.17) 23.1   (0.62) 19.9   (0.41) 17.3   (0.71) 20.1   (0.65) 21.9   (0.69) 11.6   (0.24)
South 33.6   (0.29) 33.2   (0.16) 34.1   (0.33) 34.2   (0.73) 35.5   (0.63) 37.1   (0.37) 26.6   (0.55) 22.9   (1.23) 27.8   (0.14) 29.0   (1.76) 45.2   (0.73) 51.4   (1.41) 41.4   (0.58) 43.2   (1.17) 39.0   (0.42)
West 19.0   (0.17) 19.1   (0.09) 19.1   (0.32) 18.5   (0.33) 18.9   (0.51) 19.6   (0.29) 17.4   (0.36) 16.2   (0.57) 16.8   (0.38) 20.5   (0.95) 18.1   (0.31) 24.3   (0.85) 14.8   (0.36) 15.6   (0.64) 24.9   (0.52)

School locale
                                                                                         
City 41.0   (0.31) 41.5   (0.27) 42.5   (0.50) 43.0   (0.77) 43.1   (0.63) 43.5   (0.42) 47.6   (0.65) 42.7   (0.90) 47.0   (0.26) 55.4   (2.46) 39.1   (0.75) 34.5   (1.57) 44.1   (0.58) 38.8   (1.27) 44.8   (0.45)
Suburban 39.0   (0.34) 38.3   (0.20) 41.0   (0.44) 40.2   (0.82) 39.9   (0.58) 40.2   (0.30) 39.4   (0.44) 40.6   (1.02) 40.4   (0.34) 35.7   (1.09) 39.5   (0.50) 41.0   (0.95) 41.7   (0.64) 36.4   (0.83) 42.3   (0.41)
Town 7.1   (0.17) 6.8   (0.05) 6.3   (0.33) 6.2   (0.56) 6.5   (0.42) 5.9   (0.20) 8.2   (0.54) 12.3   (0.93) 8.1   (0.28) 3.2 ! (1.39) 6.0   (0.17) 7.7   (0.66) 5.3   (0.06) 5.1   (0.18) 2.7   (0.02)
Rural 12.9   (0.42) 13.4   (0.33) 10.1   (0.47) 10.7   (0.57) 10.5   (0.41) 10.4   (0.20) 4.7   (0.28) 4.4   (0.96) 4.5   (0.02) 5.7   (0.15) 15.5   (0.45) 16.9   (0.70) 8.9   (0.10) 19.7   (0.98) 10.3   (0.12)
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
1 Affiliated schools belong to associations of schools with a specific religious orientation other than Catholic or conservative Christian.
2 Unaffiliated schools have a religious orientation or purpose but are not classified as Catholic, conservative Christian, or affiliated.
3 School levels are assigned based on the current Common Core of Data (CCD) school level definitions. For more information about the CCD school levels, see https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/doc/11_Changes_SCH_LEA_Level_Assignments_3.4.2020.docx.
4 Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Race/ethnicity was not collected for prekindergarten students (832,900 out of 5,485,800 students in 2019). Percentage distribution is based on the students for whom race/ethnicity was reported.
NOTE: Includes enrollment in prekindergarten through grade 12 in schools that offer kindergarten or higher grade. 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), 2009-10 through 2019-20. (This table was prepared September 2021.)

2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest