What the NCES Private School Survey shows and does not show
Where the data in this directory comes from, how special education schools are identified, what each field means, and the limits families should keep in mind.
This directory is built from a federal survey, not from state approvals or reviews. Understanding where the information comes from helps you use it well and avoids over-reading a listing. This guide explains the survey, how we select schools, and the limits.
The survey
The Private School Universe Survey (PSS) is a biennial survey run by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), with data collected by the US Census Bureau. It aims to build a universe of private schools in the United States and reports basic characteristics: location, grades, enrolment, teachers, religious orientation and school type. The public-use file for 2023–24 is published on the NCES PSS site, and you can search individual schools with the NCES Private School Search.
How a school becomes a “special education school”
Each school answers a survey question (Q12) asking which of several descriptions best fits it: regular, Montessori, special program emphasis, special education, career or technical, alternative, or early childhood. We list every school that chose Special Education. In the 2023–24 data file that is 1,598 schools, and it includes all the schools NCES classifies in its “nonsectarian, special education” typology. The description is the school's own; the survey does not check what disabilities a school serves or how well it serves them.
What each field means
- Grades reported. The lowest and highest grades taught in 2023–24, or “Ungraded” for schools that do not use grade levels.
- Students. The number of K-12 and ungraded students as reported for fall 2023. It does not count pre-kindergarten children.
- Teachers. The estimated number of K-12 teachers in full-time equivalents.
- Students per teacher. A ratio calculated from those two figures. It is not the same as class size or the number of adults in a classroom, because teachers include those who teach part time or do not work in classrooms, and aides are not counted. We hide obvious outliers.
- Religious orientation. Nonsectarian, Catholic or another religious orientation, as reported.
- Associations. If the school reported membership of the National Association of Private Special Education Centers or other associations for exceptional children, we say so. We do not verify membership, and it is not accreditation.
What the survey does not tell you
- Whether the school is state-approved. Approval for district placements is a state decision. Ask your state education department.
- Whether it is accredited or licensed. Confirm with the accrediting body and the state.
- Quality or outcomes. The survey has no measures of learning progress, safety, discipline or family satisfaction. We do not publish ratings, reviews or complaints.
- Which disabilities and needs it serves. Ask the school directly.
- Current status. The data describe the fall 2023 survey year. Schools open, merge, move and close. Phone numbers and addresses may have changed.
How we use it
We list schools alphabetically by city, with their reported facts and a link to the NCES record. Verified means only that the school appears in the federal file as a special education school. We do not rank schools, and featured placements are labelled and never change the order.
Next steps for families
Use the directory to find schools near you, then check state approval and licensing, visit, and ask questions. Our guides on evaluating a school, placement and the IEP and paying for private special education take you through those steps.