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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, 2019–20
                           
    Total   City   Suburban   Town   Rural  
Selected characteristic   Number   Percent   Number   Percent   Number   Percent   Number   Percent   Number   Percent  
Total   4,652,904   100.0   2,057,808   100.0   1,819,082   100.0   269,057   100.0   506,957   100.0  
                                           
Private school typology                                          
Catholic   1,742,968   37.5   843,318   41.0   683,296   37.6   134,481   50.0   81,872   16.1  
Parochial   493,142   10.6   215,166   10.5   198,156   10.9   58,660   21.8   21,160   4.2  
Diocesan   833,231   17.9   397,762   19.3   335,696   18.5   62,711   23.3   37,061   7.3  
Private   416,595   9.0   230,390   11.2   149,444   8.2   13,110 ! 4.9 ! 23,651   4.7  
                                           
Other religious   1,812,687   39.0   706,064   34.3   704,388   38.7   103,252   38.4   298,984   59.0  
Conservative Christian   590,997   12.7   205,899   10.0   240,134   13.2   42,299   15.7   102,666   20.3  
Other affiliated   572,256   12.3   251,324   12.2   236,856   13.0   30,149   11.2   53,928   10.6  
Unaffiliated   649,434   14.0   248,841   12.1   227,398   12.5   30,805   11.4   142,390   28.1  
                                           
Nonsectarian   1,097,249   23.6   508,426   24.7   431,398   23.7   31,323   11.6   126,102   24.9  
Regular   750,327   16.1   366,387   17.8   273,421   15.0   21,096   7.8   89,423   17.6  
Special emphasis   227,108   4.9   95,416   4.6   100,401   5.5   7,121   2.6   24,169   4.8  
Special education   119,815   2.6   46,623   2.3   57,576   3.2   3,106   1.2   12,509   2.5  
                                           
School level1                                          
Elementary/Middle   2,003,418   43.1   874,381   42.5   829,376   45.6   135,157   50.2   164,504   32.4  
Secondary/High   896,318   19.3   437,690   21.3   353,136   19.4   27,113   10.1   78,379   15.5  
Combined/Other   1,753,168   37.7   745,737   36.2   636,571   35.0   106,787   39.7   264,074   52.1  
                                           
Program emphasis                                          
Regular elementary/secondary   4,145,030   89.1   1,842,767   89.6   1,592,379   87.5   253,096   94.1   456,788   90.1  
Montessori   98,631   2.1   44,700   2.2   43,272   2.4   3,642   1.4   7,016   1.4  
Special program emphasis   149,666   3.2   74,166   3.6   51,713   2.8   4,487   1.7   19,301   3.8  
Special education   133,136   2.9   52,178   2.5   64,532   3.5   3,286   1.2   13,140   2.6  
Vocational/technical   ‡   ‡   ‡   ‡   ‡   ‡   ‡   ‡   ‡   ‡  
Alternative   75,994   1.6   27,088   1.3   39,315   2.2   2,255   0.8   7,336   1.4  
Early childhood   49,244   1.1   16,336   0.8   27,867   1.5   2,008   0.7   3,034   0.6  
                                           
Size (number of students)                                          
Less than 50   270,534   5.8   72,488   3.5   91,673   5.0   19,594   7.3   86,779   17.1  
50 -149   757,820   16.3   253,133   12.3   277,214   15.2   99,536   37.0   127,936   25.2  
150- 299   1,106,966   23.8   460,499   22.4   434,880   23.9   85,716   31.9   125,871   24.8  
300-499   939,168   20.2   419,941   20.4   395,999   21.8   41,600   15.5   81,627   16.1  
500-749   643,984   13.8   325,120   15.8   266,377   14.6   12,907   4.8   39,580   7.8  
750 or more   934,433   20.1   526,626   25.6   352,938   19.4   ‡   ‡   45,165   8.9  
                                           
Region                                          
Northeast   982,265   21.1   364,454   17.7   493,358   27.1   22,453   8.3   101,999   20.1  
Midwest   1,062,916   22.8   407,389   19.8   398,998   21.9   126,445   47.0   130,084   25.7  
South   1,695,730   36.4   781,380   38.0   617,821   34.0   79,335   29.5   217,194   42.8  
West   911,994   19.6   504,584   24.5   308,906   17.0   40,824   15.2   57,680   11.4  
! 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.
1 Schools are assigned to one of three school level categories in the 2019–20 PSS: Elementary/Middle, High/secondary, and Combined/other. Elementary/middle schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades K through 4 than in higher grades or that enroll students in more of grades 5 through 8 than in higher or lower grades. High/secondary schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 9 through 12 than in lower grades. Combined/other schools include all other combinations of grades, including K-12 schools. School level categories in the 2019–20 PSS differ from those in previous survey administrations; caution should be exercised when comparing estimates by level over time.
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), 2019–20.

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