Private School Universe Survey (PSS)
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Table 5. Number and percentage distribution of private school students, by urbanicity type and selected characteristics: United States, 2015–16

    Total City   Suburban   Town   Rural  
Selected characteristic   Number   Percent   Number   Percent   Number   Percent   Number   Percent   Number   Percent  
Total   4,903,596 100.0 2,140,625 100.0 1,903,824 100.0 301,999 100.0 557,148 100.0  
Private school typology    
Catholic   1,901,474 38.8 901,264 42.1 786,755 41.3 127,934 42.4 85,520 15.3  
Parochial   635,505 13.0 271,577 12.7 289,457 15.2 52,463 17.4 22,008 4.0  
Diocesan   878,217 17.9 429,487 20.1 346,713 18.2 66,894 22.2 35,122 6.3  
Private   387,752 7.9 200,200 9.4 150,586 7.9 8,577 2.8 28,389 5.1  
                                           
Other Religion   1,932,819 39.4 747,006 34.9 710,067 37.3 141,566 46.9 334,181 60.0  
Conservative Christian   663,776 13.5 189,387 8.8 295,978 15.5 77,206 ! 25.6 ! 101,205 18.2  
Other affiliated   511,893 10.4 217,152 10.1 203,349 10.7 22,890 7.6 68,502 ! 12.3  
Unaffiliated   757,150 15.4 340,467 15.9 210,740 11.1 41,470 13.7 164,473 29.5  
     
Nonsectarian   1,069,303 21.8 492,355 23.0 407,002 21.4 32,499 10.8 137,447 24.7  
Regular   713,572 14.6 334,433 15.6 259,059 13.6 21,965 7.3 98,115 17.6  
Special emphasis   251,147 5.1 119,666 5.6 95,892 5.0 7,443 2.5 28,147 5.1  
Special education   104,585 2.1 38,256 1.8 52,052 2.7 3,091 1.0 11,185 2.0  
                                           
School Level   2,190,500 44.7 952,192 44.5 913,095 48.0 129,611 42.9 195,601 35.1  
Elementary   774,499 15.8 393,480 18.4 283,639 14.9 24,549 8.1 72,831 13.1  
Secondary   1,938,598 39.5 794,953 37.1 707,090 37.1 147,839 49.0 288,716 51.8  
Combined    
     
Program Emphasis   4,367,287 89.1 1,915,371 89.5 1,663,718 87.4 285,916 94.7 502,281 90.2  
Regular elementary/ secondary   126,362 2.6 58,740 2.7 54,362 2.9 3,539 1.2 9,721 1.7  
Montessori   148,477 3.0 71,979 3.4 54,735 2.9 3,863 1.3 17,899 3.2  
Special education   117,541 2.4 41,519 1.9 60,856 3.2 3,220 1.1 11,947 2.1  
Vocational/technical   ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡  
Alternative   87,947 1.8 32,661 1.5 37,932 2.0 4,106 1.4 13,248 2.4  
Early childhood   53,886 1.1 18,893 0.9 31,633 1.7 1,355 0.4 2,006 0.4  
                                           
Size (number of students)                                          
Less than 50   338,610 6.9 82,907 3.9 103,439 5.4 24,455 8.1 127,809 22.9  
50 -149   752,557 15.3 261,885 12.2 262,972 13.8 92,890 30.8 134,809 24.2  
150- 299   1,193,947 24.3 506,026 23.6 464,964 24.4 84,908 28.1 138,049 24.8  
300-499   956,154 19.5 429,744 20.1 406,028 21.3 40,017 13.3 80,365 14.4  
500-749   769,049 15.7 343,182 16.0 332,634 17.5 ‡ 17.0 ! 41,791 7.5  
750 or more   893,279 18.2 516,881 24.1 333,786 17.5 ‡ ‡ 34,325 6.2  
     
Region    
Northeast   1,135,763 23.2 441,498 20.6 563,159 29.6 24,759 8.2 106,346 19.1  
Midwest   1,216,479 24.8 452,134 21.1 458,293 24.1 152,004 50.3 154,048 27.6  
South   1,654,391 33.7 750,814 35.1 581,048 30.5 89,967 29.8 232,562 41.7  
West   896,964 18.3 496,179 23.2 301,325 15.8 35,269 11.7 64,191 11.5  
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent (i.e. the standard error is at least 30 percent and less than 50 percent of the estimate).
‡ Reporting standards not met. There are fewer than 15 sample cases, or CV for this estimate is 50 percent or greater.
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 that 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), 2015–16.

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