{"slug":"private-school-vs-public-school","title":"Private School vs Public School: U.S. Facts","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school","faqCount":6,"faqs":[{"question":"How many students go to private school in the U.S.?","answer":"About 5.5 million students were enrolled in private elementary and secondary schools in fall 2021."},{"question":"How many students go to public school?","answer":"About 49.6 million students were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2022."},{"question":"How much do public schools spend per student?","answer":"Current expenditures were $15,591 per student in 2021-22, out of $768 billion in total current spending."},{"question":"Do private school teachers stay longer?","answer":"From 2020-21 to 2021-22, 82% of private and 84% of public school teachers stayed at the same school; 12% of private and 8% of public school teachers left the profession."},{"question":"How many teachers work in each sector?","answer":"About 3.2 million full-time-equivalent teachers in public schools (fall 2022) and 0.5 million in private schools (fall 2021)."},{"question":"Is private school better than public school?","answer":"It depends on the specific schools and your child. Compare programs, class sizes, support services, travel and total cost for the schools you can choose from."}],"faqPageSchema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#faq","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school","inLanguage":"en-US","name":"Private School vs Public School: U.S. Facts — FAQ","description":"Frequently asked questions about Private School vs Public School: U.S. Facts","dateModified":"2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"isPartOf":{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#article"},"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#faq-speakable","cssSelector":[".faq-answer"]},"mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#q1","name":"How many students go to private school in the U.S.?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#a1","text":"About 5.5 million students were enrolled in private elementary and secondary schools in fall 2021.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#q2","name":"How many students go to public school?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#a2","text":"About 49.6 million students were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2022.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#q3","name":"How much do public schools spend per student?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#a3","text":"Current expenditures were $15,591 per student in 2021-22, out of $768 billion in total current spending.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#q4","name":"Do private school teachers stay longer?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#a4","text":"From 2020-21 to 2021-22, 82% of private and 84% of public school teachers stayed at the same school; 12% of private and 8% of public school teachers left the profession.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#q5","name":"How many teachers work in each sector?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#a5","text":"About 3.2 million full-time-equivalent teachers in public schools (fall 2022) and 0.5 million in private schools (fall 2021).","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#q6","name":"Is private school better than public school?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school#a6","text":"It depends on the specific schools and your child. Compare programs, class sizes, support services, travel and total cost for the schools you can choose from.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/private-school-vs-public-school","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}}]}}