Characteristics of Private Schools in the U.S. (2019–20)

A new First Look report, Characteristics of Private Schools in the United States: Results from the 2019–20 Private School Universe Survey, examines the characteristics of the more than 30,400 private schools in the United States during the 2019–20 school year. Results include the following: There were 30,492 private schools in the United States in fall 2019, enrolling 4,652,904 students, and employing 481,200 full-time-equivalent teachers. In 2019–20, there were 11,670 private schools in suburban locations followed by those in cities (10,445), rural areas (5,901), and towns (2,476). About 96 percent of all private schools in 2019–20 were coeducational, while 2 percent enrolled all girls and 3 percent enrolled all boys. Of the grade 12 students enrolled in private schools on October 1, 2018, about 96 percent graduated in 2018–19. Of the 340,609 private high school graduates in 2018–19, about 65 percent attended 4-year colleges by the fall of 2019.