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Were you contacted about the 2023–24 PSS? Please contact the U.S. Census Bureau pss@census.gov or 1-888-329-5890 for more information. Questions about the survey? Click here for PSS participant information!
Private School Universe Survey (PSS)
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Number and percentage distribution of private school students, by community type and selected characteristics: United States, 2003–04
 
Selected characteristic Total   Central city   Urban fringe/
large town		   Rural/
small town
Number Percent   Number Percent   Number Percent   Number Percent
Total  5,122,772 100.0   2,182,282 100.0   2,291,408 100.0   649,082 100.0
                       
NCES typology                       
Catholic  2,365,220 46.2   1,102,251 50.5   1,083,579 47.3   179,390 27.6
Parochial  1,097,417 21.4   468,704 21.5   542,781 23.7   85,932 13.2
Diocesan  908,583 17.7   434,854 19.9   399,644 17.4   74,084 11.4
Private  359,220 7.0   198,693 9.1   141,153 6.2   19,373 3.0
                       
Other religious  1,835,559 35.8   677,500 31.0   830,969 36.3   327,089 50.4
Conservative Christian  773,847 15.1   250,296 11.5   375,760 16.4   147,791 22.8
Affiliated  553,305 10.8   235,610 10.8   248,053 10.8   69,643 10.7
Unaffiliated  508,407 9.9   191,595 8.8   207,157 9.0   109,655 16.9
                       
Nonsectarian  921,993 18.0   402,531 18.4   376,859 16.4   142,603 22.0
Regular  603,442 11.8   271,719 12.5   229,886 10.0   101,837 15.7
Special emphasis  213,986 4.2   90,234 4.1   94,265 4.1   29,487 4.5
Special education  104,566 2.0   40,578 1.9   52,709 2.3   11,279 1.7
                       
School level                       
Elementary  2,694,494 52.6   1,142,014 52.3   1,274,408 55.6   278,072 42.8
Secondary  845,083 16.5   445,266 20.4   323,578 14.1   76,238 11.7
Combined  1,583,194 30.9   595,002 27.3   693,422 30.3   294,771 45.4
                       
Program emphasis                       
Regular elementary/secondary  4,639,235 90.6   1,980,731 90.8   2,072,665 90.5   585,839 90.3
Montessori  83,110 1.6   33,528 1.5   41,252 1.8   8,330 1.3
Special program emphasis  170,196 3.3   82,663 3.8   72,208 3.2   15,324 2.4
Special education  114,829 2.2   44,163 2.0   58,645 2.6   12,021 1.9
Vocational/technical  ‡ ‡   ‡ ‡   ‡ ‡   ‡ ‡
Alternative  109,947 2.1   39,203 1.8   43,711 1.9   27,034 4.2
Early childhood  4,518 0.1   1,577 0.1   2,650 0.1   ‡ ‡
                       
Size (number of students)                       
Less than 50  223,772 4.4   53,193 2.4   80,972 3.5   89,606 13.8
50–149  759,730 14.8   248,607 11.4   324,418 14.2   186,706 28.8
150–299  1,352,489 26.4   556,188 25.5   612,170 26.7   184,130 28.4
300–499  1,153,619 22.5   494,912 22.7   550,792 24.0   107,915 16.6
500–749  777,224 15.2   345,164 15.8   387,006 16.9   45,054 6.9
750 or more  855,938 16.7   484,219 22.2   336,049 14.7   35,670 5.5
                       
Region                       
Northeast  1,273,012 24.9   518,924 23.8   640,531 28.0   113,556 17.5
Midwest  1,270,736 24.8   472,972 21.7   592,890 25.9   204,874 31.6
South  1,611,775 31.5   668,014 30.6   681,445 29.7   262,316 40.4
West  967,249 18.9   522,372 23.9   376,541 16.4   68,336 10.5
‡ Reporting standards not met.
NOTE: 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), 2003–2004.

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