Enrollment in Oregon’s private kindergarten through 12th grade education facilities grew by 12% from 36,718 in 2001 to 41,032 in 2006. In contrast, public school K-12 enrollments grew by only 2%, adding 10,464 students in the same time period. Students in private facilities constitute nearly 7% of all school enrollments in the state’s K-12 schools. Within private pre-K-12 facilities, 23% of students are pre-school or under, 53% are in kindergarten through 8th grade, and 24% are in high school. In all private education — including post-secondary — payroll employment grew in Oregon from 18,950 in 2001 to 23,276 in 2006, an increase of nearly 23%. The industry provided over $650 million in payroll in 2006. Statewide, 36% of private education employment is in elementary and secondary schools, 36% is in colleges or universities, and the remaining 28% is employed in vocational, technical training and educational support services. The counties with the highest average employment in private education are Multnomah, Washington, Marion, Yamhill, Clackamas and Lane.

—Shawna Sykes, workforce analyst
WorkSource Oregon Employment Department
www.QualityInfo.org