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Digest of Education Statistics
2023 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 205.45. Number and percentage distribution of private elementary and secondary students, number of teachers and pupil/teacher ratio, and number and average enrollment size of schools, by religious affiliation of school: Fall 1999, fall 2011, and fall 2021
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Religious affiliation of school Students1 Teachers, 20212 Schools, 2021
Fall 1999 Fall 2011 Fall 2021 Number Pupil/teacher ratio Number Average enrollment size
Total number Percentage distribution Total number Percentage distribution Total number Percentage distribution Number in prekindergarten through grade 8 Number in grades 9 through 12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Total 6,018,280   (30,179) 100.0   (†) 5,268,090   (24,908) 100.0   (†) 5,473,540   (16,721) 100.0   (†) 4,071,430   (13,699) 1,402,110   (3,567) 482,570   (1,529) 11.3   (0.02) 29,730   (156) 184   (0.80)
Religiously affiliated 4,853,780   (26,450) 80.7   (0.11) 4,079,820   (25,528) 77.4   (0.15) 4,079,120   (14,906) 74.5   (0.09) 3,045,950   (11,759) 1,033,170   (3,556) 328,740   (1,378) 12.4   (0.03) 19,630   (146) 208   (1.34)
African Methodist Episcopal 1,630   (#) #   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
Amish 20,480   (1,483) 0.3   (0.02) 33,420   (5,947) 0.6   (0.11) 42,180   (†) 0.8   (#) 41,950   (†) 230   (†) 2,630   (†) 16.1   (†) 1,420   (†) 30   (†)
Assembly of God 91,170   (682) 1.5   (0.01) 45,570   (†) 0.9   (#) 43,980   (6,264) 0.8   (0.11) 36,610   (5,032) 7,370   (1,233) 3,120   (404) 14.1   (0.19) 190   (9) 229   (21.70)
Baptist 374,740   (4,831) 6.2   (0.07) 253,250   (1,003) 4.8   (0.04) 230,490   (2,608) 4.2   (0.05) 186,620   (2,608) 43,870   (†) 18,650   (54) 12.4   (0.10) 1,480   (13) 156   (0.34)
Brethren 9,490   (#) 0.2   (#) 9,030   (†) 0.2   (#) 5,530   (†) 0.1   (#) 4,370   (†) 1,160   (†) 500   (†) 11.0   (†) 50   (†) 110   (†)

Calvinist
43,360   (#) 0.7   (#) 26,590   (272) 0.5   (0.01) 22,010   (1,432) 0.4   (0.03) 16,210   (1,432) 5,810   (†) 1,660   (85) 13.3   (0.19) 80   (7) 276   (7.42)
Christian (no specific
     denomination)
609,210   (13,920) 10.1   (0.20) 700,980   (3,720) 13.3   (0.07) 810,830   (11,345) 14.8   (0.17) 618,740   (8,205) 192,090   (3,232) 66,620   (1,004) 12.2   (0.08) 4,010   (86) 202   (3.86)
Church of Christ 57,060   (#) 0.9   (#) 34,450   (17) 0.7   (#) 32,200   (†) 0.6   (#) 22,860   (†) 9,340   (†) 2,370   (†) 13.6   (†) 110   (†) 295   (†)
Church of God 19,120   (949) 0.3   (0.02) 11,460   (1) 0.2   (#) 8,340   (†) 0.2   (#) 5,540   (†) 2,810   (†) 620   (†) 13.5   (†) 60   (†) 132   (†)
Church of God in Christ 3,710   (321) 0.1   (0.01)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)

Church of the Nazarene
---   (†) ---   (†) 8,180   (†) 0.2   (#) 8,720   (†) 0.2   (#) 7,570   (†) 1,150   (†) 610   (†) 14.2   (†) 50   (†) 175   (†)
Disciples of Christ   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
Episcopal 135,100   (16,971) 2.2   (0.28) 110,520   (†) 2.1   (0.01) 114,460   (†) 2.1   (0.01) 83,050   (†) 31,410   (†) 12,400   (†) 9.2   (†) 360   (†) 316   (†)
Friends 18,760   (471) 0.3   (0.01) 20,720   (64) 0.4   (#) 20,640   (†) 0.4   (#) 14,550   (†) 6,080   (†) 2,760   (†) 7.5   (†) 80   (†) 251   (†)
Greek Orthodox 5,520   (#) 0.1   (#) 5,750   (295) 0.1   (0.01)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)

Islamic
20,450   (993) 0.3   (0.02) 37,140   (47) 0.7   (#) 60,740   (†) 1.1   (#) 52,200   (†) 8,540   (†) 6,650   (†) 9.1   (†) 330   (†) 186   (†)
Jewish 198,580   (465) 3.3   (0.02) 276,260   (16,623) 5.2   (0.30) 333,720   (3,039) 6.1   (0.05) 263,800   (3,033) 69,920   (54) 34,190   (282) 9.8   (0.06) 1,170   (17) 286   (1.92)
Latter Day Saints 710   (†) #   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
Lutheran Church--Missouri
     Synod
211,360   (1,658) 3.5   (0.03) 156,600   (1,177) 3.0   (0.02) 144,170   (†) 2.6   (0.01) 123,890   (†) 20,280   (†) 9,270   (†) 15.6   (†) 850   (†) 169   (†)
Evangelical Lutheran Church
     in America
32,530   (348) 0.5   (0.01) 15,660   (†) 0.3   (#) 13,010   (†) 0.2   (#) 12,740   (†) 270   (†) 850   (†) 15.3   (†) 80   (†) 154   (†)

Wisconsin Evangelical
     Lutheran Synod
37,230   (#) 0.6   (#) 34,480   (†) 0.7   (#) 39,510   (1,532) 0.7   (0.03) 32,900   (1,532) 6,610   (†) 2,510   (55) 15.7   (0.26) 330   (18) 121   (2.18)
Other Lutheran 5,100   (70) 0.1   (#) 9,470   (62) 0.2   (#) 7,120   (†) 0.1   (#) 6,750   (†) 380   (†) 450   (†) 15.8   (†) 60   (†) 115   (†)
Mennonite 24,800   (1,337) 0.4   (0.02) 33,520   (5,217) 0.6   (0.10) 29,130   (390) 0.5   (0.01) 24,260   (390) 4,870   (†) 2,860   (25) 10.2   (0.05) 480   (8) 61   (0.24)
Methodist 41,920   (1,401) 0.7   (0.02) 35,950   (†) 0.7   (#) 32,440   (†) 0.6   (#) 29,950   (†) 2,480   (†) 1,910   (†) 17.0   (†) 230   (†) 139   (†)
Pentecostal 38,370   (599) 0.6   (0.01) 17,050   (328) 0.3   (0.01) 19,180   (803) 0.4   (0.01) 15,440   (716) 3,740   (86) 1,820   (90) 10.5   (0.08) 260   (12) 74   (0.43)

Presbyterian
50,990   (#) 0.8   (#) 46,430   (17) 0.9   (#) 51,260   (†) 0.9   (#) 41,250   (†) 10,010   (†) 4,090   (†) 12.5   (†) 210   (†) 244   (†)
Roman Catholic 2,660,420   (4,831) 44.2   (0.24) 2,087,870   (14,426) 39.6   (0.25) 1,816,480   (2,112) 33.2   (0.09) 1,259,710   (1,951) 556,770   (295) 134,860   (181) 13.5   (#) 6,120   (21) 297   (0.75)
Seventh-Day Adventist 63,540   (240) 1.1   (0.01) 51,260   (†) 1.0   (#) 43,790   (†) 0.8   (#) 33,330   (†) 10,460   (†) 3,430   (†) 12.8   (†) 670   (†) 65   (†)
Other 76,690   (8,847) 1.3   (0.14) 12,430   (†) 0.2   (#) 140,810   (1,166) 2.6   (0.02) 104,510   (874) 36,310   (299) 13,220   (562) 10.6   (0.40) 880   (83) 161   (14.39)

Not religiously affiliated
1,164,500   (8,156) 19.3   (0.11) 1,188,270   (5,376) 22.6   (0.15) 1,394,420   (5,395) 25.5   (0.09) 1,025,480   (5,096) 368,950   (930) 153,830   (579) 9.1   (0.03) 10,100   (79) 138   (0.75)
---Not available.
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.
1Includes students in prekindergarten in schools that offer kindergarten or higher grade.
2Reported in full-time equivalents (FTE). Excludes teachers who teach only prekindergarten students.
NOTE: Tabulation includes 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), 1999-2000, 2011-12, and 2021-22. (This table was prepared July 2023.)

2023 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest