In 2009–10, some 5 percent of traditional public schools were combined schools (schools with both elementary and secondary grades), whereas 19 percent of charter schools and 28 percent of private schools were combined schools.
In 2009–10, there were 132,200 schools in the United States, including 93,900 traditional public schools, some 5,000 charter schools, and 33,400 private schools (see table A-12-1). Of the total schools in the United States in that year, approximately two-thirds (67 percent) were elementary schools, 21 percent were secondary schools, 11 percent were combined schools (namely, schools with both elementary and secondary grades) and 1 percent were ungraded. However, there was variation in the distribution of schools at each level by school control, that is, whether they were traditional public, charter or private. For example, 25 percent of traditional public schools and 27 percent of charter schools were secondary schools, compared to 8 percent of private schools. In addition, 5 percent of traditional public schools were combined schools, compared to 19 percent of charter schools and 28 percent of private schools.
The distribution of schools by school size differed by school control in 2009–10. Some 30 percent of traditional public schools were small (enrollment of fewer than 300 students), as compared to 61 percent of charter schools and 85 percent of private schools. In that same year, 9 percent of traditional public schools were large (1,000 or more students), as compared to 4 percent of charter schools and 1 percent of private schools.
The percentage of schools where White students accounted for more than 50 percent of enrollment was lower in 2009–10 than in 1999–2000 (66 vs. 73 percent). In contrast, the percentage of schools where Hispanic students accounted for more than 50 percent of enrollment was higher in 2009–10 than in 1999–2000 (12 vs. 7 percent). In both years, the percentage of schools where Black students accounted for more than 50 percent of enrollment was approximately the same (10 percent). In 2009–10, White students accounted for more than 50 percent of enrollment in 75 percent of private schools, compared to 63 percent of traditional public schools and 41 percent of charter schools. In contrast, Black students accounted for more than 50 percent of enrollment at 26 percent of charter schools, compared to 11 percent of traditional public schools and 8 percent of private schools. Hispanic students accounted for more than 50 percent of enrollment at 20 percent of charter schools in 2009–10, compared to 14 percent of traditional public schools and 5 percent of private schools.
The percentage of public schools (data for private schools are not available) that were high-poverty schools (i.e., schools where more than 75 percent of the students were eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program) was higher in 2009–10 (20 percent) than in 1999–2000 (12 percent). Conversely, the percentage of public schools that were low-poverty schools (i.e., schools where 25 percent or less of the students were eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program) was lower in 2009–10 (20 percent) than in 1999–2000 (31 percent). The distributions of public schools by poverty level differed by whether public schools were traditional or charter. In 2009–10, about 33 percent of charter schools were high-poverty schools, compared to 19 percent of traditional public schools.
In 2009–10, the largest percentage of traditional public schools were in rural areas (33 percent), followed by schools in suburban areas (28 percent), cities (25 percent), and towns (14 percent). In contrast, the largest percentage of charter schools was in cities (55 percent); suburban areas had 21 percent of charter schools, rural areas had 16 percent and towns had 8 percent. The largest percentages of private schools were in suburban areas (35 percent) and cities (32 percent), followed by rural areas (23 percent), and towns (10 percent).
Technical Notes
The percentage distributions for school size and race/ethnicity exclude schools that did not report enrollment. For more information on locale, poverty, and race/ethnicity, see Appendix C – Commonly Used Measures. For more information on the Common Core of Data (CCD) or the Private School Survey (PSS), see Appendix B – Guide to Sources.
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