Number and percentage distribution of private schools, by school level and selected school characteristics: United States, 2017

Private School Universe Survey (PSS)

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Table 16. Number and percentage distribution of private schools, by school level and selected school characteristics: United States, 2017–18

			School level
	Total		Elementary		Secondary		Combined
Selected school characteristics	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number		Percent
Total	32,461	100.0	20,090	100.0	2,845	100.0	9,526		100.0

Private school typology
Catholic	7,047	21.7	5,405	26.9	1,135	39.9	507		5.3
Parochial	2,422	7.5	2,219	11.0	91	3.2	112		1.2
Diocesan	3,477	10.7	2,743	13.7	583	20.5	151		1.6
Private	1,148	3.5	444	2.2	460	16.2	244		2.6

Other religious	14,501	44.7	8,012	39.9	812	28.6	5,677		59.6
Conservative Christian	3,782	11.7	1,094	5.4	116	4.1	2,573		27.0
Other affiliated	2,982	9.2	1,668	8.3	294	10.3	1,019		10.7
Unaffiliated	7,737	23.8	5,250	26.1	402	14.1	2,085		21.9

Nonsectarian	10,913	33.6	6,673	33.2	898	31.6	3,342		35.1
Regular	4,250	13.1	2,562	12.8	401	14.1	1,287		13.5
Special emphasis	4,889	15.1	3,831	19.1	261	9.2	797		8.4
Special education	1,774	5.5	280	1.4	236	8.3	1,258		13.2

Program emphasis
Regular elementary/secondary	22,088	68.0	13,037	64.9	2,214	77.8	6,837		71.8
Montessori	3,053	9.4	2,708	13.5	‡	‡	328	!	3.4
Special program emphasis	1,042	3.2	503	2.5	120	4.2	419		4.4
Special education	1,979	6.1	321	1.6	249	8.7	1,410		14.8
Vocational/technical	22	0.1	‡	‡	‡	‡	‡		‡
Alternative	2,245	6.9	1,584	7.9	234	8.2	428		4.5
Early childhood	2,031	6.3	1,936	9.6	†	†	‡		‡

Size (number of students)
Less than 50	13,969	43.0	9,917	49.4	815	28.6	3,237		34.0
50–149	8,172	25.2	4,826	24.0	627	22.0	2,719		28.5
150–299	5,727	17.6	3,608	18.0	416	14.6	1,703		17.9
300–499	2,594	8.0	1,389	6.9	385	13.5	821		8.6
500–749	1,154	3.6	274	1.4	332	11.7	548		5.7
750 or more	845	2.6	76	0.4	271	9.5	498		5.2

Region
Northeast	7,007	21.6	4,367	21.7	848	29.8	1,792		18.8
Midwest	7,937	24.5	5,749	28.6	625	22.0	1,563		16.4
South	11,156	34.4	5,877	29.3	796	28.0	4,484		47.1
West	6,360	19.6	4,097	20.4	576	20.3	1,687		17.7

Urbanicity type
City	10,531	32.4	6,534	32.5	1,125	39.5	2,873		30.2
Suburban	12,152	37.4	7,884	39.2	988	34.7	3,280		34.4
Town	2,754	8.5	1,654	8.2	191	6.7	909		9.5
Rural	7,024	21.6	4,018	20.0	541	19.0	2,465		25.9
† Not applicable.
! 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 were fewer than 15 sample cases or the coefficient of variation is 50 percent or greater.
NOTE: etail 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). A school is classified as elementary if it has one or more of grades K–6 and does not have any grade higher than grade 8. A school is classified as secondary if it has one or more of grades 7–12 and does not have any grade lower than grade 7. A school is classified as combined if it has one or more of grades K–6 and one or more of grades 9–12. Schools in which all students are ungraded (i.e., not classified by standard grade levels) are also classified as combined.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2017–18.

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