Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1930-1932. Bulletin, 1933, No. 2. Chapter V: Statistics of Private Elementary Schools for the Year 1930-31

Reports made to the Office of Education by State departments of education show an enrollment of 21,278,593 children in elementary schools during 1929-30. Between two and three million other children attend private elementary schools. Estimates for the year 1929-30 put the total private elementary school enrollment at 2,255,430. The Department of Education of the National Catholic Welfare Conference reports 2,222,598 pupils enrolled in the elementary schools that are affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Evidently about 1 elementary school child in every 10 in this country goes to a private school. This study was made with a view to securing actual enrollments and additional information concerning the education of these more than two million children who attend private elementary schools. A questionnaire was sent by the Office of Education to more than 9,000 private elementary schools for which names and addresses could be obtained. Replies were received from 6,815 schools, including 592 nonsectarian schools, 269 affiliated with Protestant denominations, and 5,954 Roman Catholic schools. In these replies the actual enrollment by individual schools totals 1,802,947 pupils, or 79.5 per cent of the number estimated by this office from various reports. Whereas the estimates previously reported by this office gave only enrollments, this inquiry secured such information as the types of administrative control of private elementary schools, the number of teachers employed in them, the enrollments by grade and sex, and the length of school term. (Contains 7 tables.) [Best copy available has been provided.]