This report on the private school universe presents data on K-12 schools broken down by school size, school level, religious orientation, geographical region, community type, and program emphasis. The number of students and teachers is reported in the same categories. The number of students is also reported by race-ethnicity, gender, and grade level. Twenty-two tables present data by three classification schemes: private school typology, religious orientation, and association membership. The Private School Survey was designed to collect data from all private schools in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey was conducted in 1997-98 by the U.S. Bureau of the Census for the National Center for Education Statistics. Results show that, in the fall of 1997, there were 27,402 private elementary and secondary schools in the U.S., a total not statistically different from 1995. Among the schools there was considerable diversity as to orientation and affiliation. Of the three primary types of private schools--Catholic, other religious, and nonsectarian--other religious schools were the most numerous (48 percent), followed by Catholic schools (30 percent), and nonsectarian schools (22 percent). Regions with the most private schools were the Midwest (27 percent) and South (30 percent). The survey design is described in the report's Technical Notes section. (RJM)