Our approach is informed by Department of Education data on private schools.
Data source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,
Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2021–22
Note: This data is from the 2021-2022 school year and represents
the most comprehensive publicly available dataset on private schools from the
Department of Education.
View original data table
Private School Market Overview
The private school sector includes a diverse range of institutions with varying
staff sizes and student populations.
Total U.S. Private Schools
29,727
Private School Segments by Size
Private schools vary significantly in their institutional profile and complexity:
| School Association |
Number of Schools |
Teachers per School |
Students per School |
Student-Teacher Ratio |
| NAIS Member Schools |
1,680 |
57.9 |
415.9 |
7.2:1 |
| Episcopal Schools |
260 |
42.4 |
318.3 |
7.5:1 |
| Girls' Schools Coalition |
143 |
57.0 |
431.9 |
7.6:1 |
| Catholic Schools |
4,613 |
23.8 |
281.6 |
11.8:1 |
| Christian Schools (ACSI) |
2,298 |
24.5 |
255.3 |
10.4:1 |
| Montessori Schools |
1,260 |
9.9 |
49.9 |
5.0:1 |
| Schools with No Association |
9,727 |
9.6 |
80.1 |
8.3:1 |
| ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS |
29,727 |
17.7 |
159.2 |
9.0:1 |
Key Insight
Schools affiliated with NAIS, Episcopal associations, and Girls' School Coalition
operate at a substantially larger scale, with:
- 3-6x more teachers per school than average
- 2-3x larger student populations
- Lower student-teacher ratios
These larger institutional profiles can create more complex digital environments
with more users to protect.
