Private schools in the United States (2017–18)

There were more than 32,000 private schools in the United States in the fall of 2017, serving nearly 5 million students, according to a new report released today (June 25, 2019). The National Center for Education Statistics released a new First Look report entitled Characteristics of Private Schools in the United States: Results From the 2017–18 Private School Universe Survey. This report examines the characteristics of private school in 2017–18 school year using data from the 2017–18 Private School Universe Survey. Results include: There were 32,461 private schools in the United States in fall 2017, enrolling 4,898,154 students, and employing 482,325 full-time-equivalent teachers. In 2017–18, there were more private schools in suburban locations (12,152) and cities (10,531) than in rural areas (7,024) and towns (2,754); About 96 percent of all private schools in 2017–18 were coeducational, while 2 percent enrolled all girls and 2 percent enrolled all boys; and Of the grade 12 students enrolled in private schools on October 1, 2016, about 97 percent graduated in 2016–17. Of the 348,234 private high school graduates in 2016–17, about 62 percent attended 4-year colleges by the fall of 2017.