Mining the Web for public data on private schools

Private schools have a reputation for being, well, private -- private about their size, private about their students, private about rates of college-bound students. But a little-known database on the Department of Education's Web site has a surprisingly comprehensive profile of the nation's private schools. The Private School Universe Survey, part of the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, is a biennial roundup of private schools with information on enrollment, demographics, college attendance rates and number of days in the school year.

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