Programs and practices in place at schools across the nation

The National Center for Education Statistics released a new report, Characteristics of Public and Private Elementary and Secondary Schools in the United States: Results From the 2017–18 National Teacher and Principal Survey First Look. The report introduces new information about public and private K–12 schools.

• During the 2017–18 school year, 78 percent of all schools reported that they participated in the federal free or reduced-price lunch program, with 96 percent of public schools reporting participation and 19 percent of private schools reporting participation.
• Nearly all public schools reported having at least one student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to address of special needs, and 13 percent of public school K–12 students had an IEP. Among private schools, 59 percent reported having at least one student with a formally identified disability and 8 percent of private school K–12 students reported having a formally identified disability.
• Nationwide, 21 percent of public schools and 13 percent of private schools offered at least one course entirely online. Among public schools, a higher percentage of charter schools (30 percent) offered at least one course entirely online than did traditional public schools (20 percent).

The report also describes the presence of library media centers, access to before- and after-school programs, school start time, time use, and availability of various learning opportunities, among other characteristics.