From 1989 to 2005, the percentage of students enrolled in private schools declined from 11 to 9 percent. The number of private school students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12 increased from 1989 to 2001 and then declined through 2005.

From 1989 to 2001, private school enrollment in kindergarten through grade 12 increased from 4.8 million to 5.3 million students. By 2005, enrollment had declined to 5.1 million students (see table 4-1).

In addition to the changing level of enrollment in private schools, the distribution of students across different types of private schools changed between 1989 and 2005. Although Roman Catholic schools maintained the largest share of total private school enrollment, the percentage of all private school students enrolled in Roman Catholic schools decreased from 55 to 44 percent. This decrease stemmed from the decline in the percentage of these students enrolled in parochial schools (those run by a parish, not by a diocese or independently). On the other hand, the percentage of students enrolled in Conservative Christian schools increased from 11 to 16 percent during this period. In addition, there was an increase in the percentage of students enrolled in nonsectarian private schools, from 13 to 18 percent. This shift in private school enrollment, from Roman Catholic to other religious and nonsectarian private schools, occurred at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Overall, while the number of students enrolled in private schools was higher in 2005 than in 1989, the percentage of all students attending private schools declined from 11 to 9 percent (see table 4-2). Enrollment of private school students as a percentage of total enrollment differed by region. In 2005, the percentage of students in private schools was higher in the Northeast (13 percent) than in the Midwest (10 percent), the South, and the West (8 percent each).

The student composition of private schools differed from that of public schools. In 2005, Whites made up a greater share of private than of public school enrollment (75 vs. 58 percent), while the opposite was true for Blacks (10 vs. 16 percent) and Hispanics (9 vs. 20 percent; see table 4-3 and indicator 5). In addition, the student composition in private schools differed by locale. Within cities, 32 percent of private school students enrolled were minorities, compared with 23 percent in suburban areas, 12 percent in towns, and 14 percent in rural areas.