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Both the number of U.S. students attending private schools and the number of private schools serving them are decreasing, the National Center for 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Statistics estimates.
From fall 2001 to fall 2003, the enrollment at private schools dropped by 218,741 students, or 4 percent, according to the center, an arm of the U.S. Department of 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ. In 2003, 5.1 million children were attending private schools, down from 5.3 million in 2001. Over the same period, the United States lost 889 private schools. In 2003, the nation had 28,384 schools.