Information on Government Programs and Services

• A Parent Guide to Understanding the Department of Education Services – Ramaz Lower School & Early Childhood Center
• SAR Academy: A Parent’s Guide to Working with the New York City Department of Education
• Federally-Funded Services for Private Schools Overview
• Orthodox Union Position Paper on Government Aid to Jewish Day Schools

Basic Statistics on New York State’s Private School Students.

• New York STATE Nonpublic Schools Educate Roughly 416,000 Students – This is 13.5% of all K-12 school enrollment in New York State (2009-2011 data). Compare to:
  • Maryland – Nonpublic schools educate roughly 141,000 students, or 14.3% of all K-12 school enrollment (2010-2011 data).
  • New Jersey – Nonpublic schools educate roughly 165,000 students, or 10.8% of all K-12 enrollment (2010-2011 data).
  • Pennsylvania – Nonpublic schools educate roughly 271,000 students, or 13.4% of all K-12 enrollment (2010-2011 data).
•  New York CITY Nonpublic Schools Educate Roughly 243,000 Students – This is 20% of all K-12 enrollment in New York City (2009-2010 data). Compare to:
  • Montgomery County, MD – Nonpublic schools educate roughly 32,000 students, or 18.3% of all K-12 enrollment (2010-2012 data).
  • Philadelphia, PA – Nonpublic schools educate roughly 44,000 students, or 17.6% of all K-12 enrollment (2010-2011 data).
• Nonpublic School Affiliation (2010-2011 data) – Of the 416,000 nonpublic school students in NYS,
  • 44% are in Roman Catholic schools.
  • 31% are in Jewish schools.
  • 16% are in Nondenominational schools.
  • The remainders are in Christian Fundamental (2.9%), Lutheran (1.1%), Episcopal (1.1%), Islamic (1%), or Other schools.
• In 2010-2011, Nonpublic School Saved NYS Taxpayers $7.74 BILLION – Based on a statewide per pupil expenditure of $18,681 in 2010-2011, this is roughly 15.6% of all statewide education expenses. 
  
  • Nonpublic Schools Saved NYC Taxpayers $4.77 BILLION – Based on a NYC district-wide per pupil expenditure of $20,276 in 2010-2011, this is roughly 24% of the NYC school district’s budget.
• 31% of NYS Nonpublic Students are from Minority Groups – This compares to 50.6% of NYS public school students who are non-white or Hispanic. For a breakdown:
  • 11.6% of Nonpublic students are Black.
  • 10.6% of Nonpublic students are Hispanic.
  • 4.6% of Nonpublic student are Asian or Pacific Islander.
  • 4.1% of Nonpublic students are Multi-racial.
  • 0.3% are Native American/Alaskan.
• 47% of NYS Nonpublic Families Make Less than $75,000 Per Year – By contrast, 64% of public school families reporting income make less than $75,000 per year (see 2010 census data).