Some Facts about getting a Private School Education.
| Private School Statistics at a Glance | |
|---|---|
| PK-12 Enrollment (2009-10) | 5,488,000 (10% of all US students) |
| # of Schools (2009-10) | 33,366 (25% of all US schools) |
| Enrollment Source: National Center for Education Statistics (see table) School Source: National Center for Education Statistics (see table 1) | |
| Where do private school students go to school? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Years 89-90 | Years 09-10 | |
| Catholic | 54.5% | 42.8% |
| Nonsectarian | 13.2% | 13.6% |
| Conservative Christian | 10.9% | 15.2% |
| Baptist | 5.8% | 5.0% |
| Lutheran | 4.4% | 3.7% |
| Jewish | 3.2% | 4.8% |
| Episcopal | 1.7% | 2.0% |
| Seventh-day Adventist | 1.6% | 1.1% |
| Calvinist | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Friends | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Source: National Center for Education Statistics (PSS Survey) | ||
FAQs About Private Schools
How many private schools are there in the United States? How many students attend them? What's the average tuition? These are just a few of the frequently asked questions we get at CAPE. Here are some answers. (Unless otherwise noted, all data are from the National Center for Education Statistics.)
Schools and Students
There are 33,366 private schools in the United States, serving 5.5 millionPK-12 students. Private schools account for over 25 percent of the nation's schools and enroll about 10 percent of all students.
Most private school students (80 percent) attend religiously-affiliated schools (see table 2). And most private schools are small: 87 percent have fewer than300 students (see table 1).
Tuition
| Average Private School Tuition: 2007-08 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Levels | Elementary | Secondary | K-12 Schools | |
| All Schools | $8,549 | $6,733 | $10,549 | $10,045 |
| Catholic | $6,018 | $4,944 | $7,826 | $9,066 |
| Other Religious | $7,117 | $6,576 | $10,493 | $7,073 |
| Non-Sectarian | $17,316 | $15,945 | $27,302 | $16,247 |
| Source: Table 63, Digest of Education Statistics 2010, National Center for Education Statistics. | ||||
Family Income
Where do the children of the wealthy go to school? In February 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau released data on the social and economic characteristics of students enrolled in the nation’s schools during the month of October 2009. It turns out that of the 8.5 million families with children in grades K-12 with annual incomes of $75,000 or more (the highest income bracket measured), 85 percent have children only in public schools and 12 percent have children only in private schools. (Three percent have children in both types of schools.)
Click on U.S. Census Bureau Web site for detailed tables in the report School Enrollment—Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2009.
Community Service
In March 2000, the National Center for Education Statistics issued a report entitled Service-Learning and Community Service Among 6th- Through 12th-Grade Students in the United States. According to the report, "Involving America's students in community service activities is one of the objectives established under the third National Education Goal for the year 2000,which seeks to prepare students for responsible citizenship."
The report notes a significant difference in levels of community service between public school students and private school students. "For both 1996 and 1999, students attending church-related private schools(42 percent for both years) and non-church-related private schools (31percent in 1996 and 41 percent in 1999) were more likely to say their schools required and arranged community service than students attending public schools...(14 percent in 1996 and 17 percent in 1999)."
