July 25, 2019
Private Schools Survey Results
June 2019
National Center for Education Statistics
It was news to me that the US Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics have been conducting a biennial survey of US private schools since 1988. The most recent survey results, released last month, paint a profile of the private school landscape in the US from the 2017 -2018 school year. The survey included schools with one or more grades from K-12. I have shared some highlights here from that report:
There are 32,461 private elementary and secondary schools in the US with
4,898,154 students enrolled.
66% of those schools had a religious orientation or purpose.
32% of the schools emphasized non-traditional elementary /secondary programs, ie Montessori, alternative program, early childhood, etc.
More private schools students in 2017-2018 were enrolled in Kindergarten than in any other grade level.
43% of all private schools enrolled less than 50 students.
Average student/teacher ratio was 11.0 in secondary schools, 10.8 in elementary schools and 9.2 in combined schools.
97% graduation rate for enrolled 12th graders in 2016-2017 and 62% of the graduates attended 4-year colleges by of the fall of 2017.
10,750 private schools did not report membership in any private school association.
There were 2,115 fewer private schools in 2017 than in 2015 but only 5,442 fewer students enrolled in private schools from 2015 to 2017.
