Notice2026-18979
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Private School Universe Survey (PSS) 2025-26 and 2027-28 Data Collections, and 2027-28 PSS Frame Development Activities
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 16, 2026
Issuing agencies
Education Department
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing a revision of a currently approved information collection request (ICR).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 178 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58663-58664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18979]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No.: ED-2026-SCC-1321]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Private School
Universe Survey (PSS) 2025-26 and 2027-28 Data Collections, and 2027-28
PSS Frame Development Activities
AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of
Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995,
the Department is proposing a revision of a currently approved
information collection request (ICR).
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
October 16, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed
information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of
publication of this notice. Click on this link <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a> to access the site. Find this information collection request
(ICR) by selecting ``Department of Education'' under ``Currently Under
Review,'' then check the ``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox.
<a href="http://Reginfo.gov">Reginfo.gov</a> provides two links to view documents related to this
information collection request. Information collection forms and
instructions may be found by clicking on the ``View Information
Collection (IC) List'' link. Supporting statements and other supporting
documentation may be found by clicking on the ``View Supporting
Statement and Other Documents'' link.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to
collection activities, please contact Matthew Soldner, Acting
Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93ddd0d6c0d0fcfefefae0e0fafcfdf6e1d3f6f7bdf4fce5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="327c717761715d5f5f5b41415b5d5c57407257561c555d44">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)),
provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to
comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of
information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting
burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in
the desired format.
[[Page 58664]]
The Department is soliciting comments on the proposed information
collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department is
especially interested in public comment addressing the following
issues: (1) is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the
Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely
manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the
Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden
of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of
information technology. Please note that written comments received in
response to this notice will be considered public records.
Title of Collection: Private School Universe Survey (PSS) 2025-26
and 2027-28 Data Collections, and 2027-28 PSS Frame Development
Activities.
OMB Control Number: 1850-0621.
Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved ICR.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 32,550.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 5,981.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: NCES: Title 20 U.S.C. 9543-44.
Abstract: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES),
within the U.S. Department of Education, conducts the Private School
Universe Survey (PSS), a national survey of private elementary and
secondary schools. The PSS is designed to collect biennial data on the
total number of private schools, teachers, and students; and to create
an NCES universe frame of private schools that serve as a sampling
frame for NCES surveys. This survey is an ongoing project to improve
NCES universe and sample data on private schools.
This request is to revise contacting materials associated with
2027-28 PSS frame-development activities (see: ``Appendix A-C PSS 2025-
2028 Communications Materials v.16rev'' in this docket) and to extend
the expiration date of the collection to May 31, 2028. Additional
information about the currently approved collection can be found at
<a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202409-1850-004">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202409-1850-004</a>.
On April 15, 2026, NCES published a notice in the Federal Register
soliciting comments on this request. It can be found at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/ED-2026-SCC-1321-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/document/ED-2026-SCC-1321-0001</a>. As shown there one
comment was received, which asked NCES to consider modifying the PSS to
include one or more questions to elicit information about how private
schools use instructional technology. Because the present request
focuses only on recruitment materials, and because questions of this
type are not historically in-scope for PSS, NCES elects to make no
changes to the collection at this time. NCES anticipates submitting a
subsequent amendment to this Information Collection Request to
accommodate potential revisions to the 2027-28 PSS survey questionnaire
and to further update communications materials associated with this
collection.
As of May 2025, NCES's assurances of confidentiality protections
for PSS 2025-26 have changed due to staffing changes at the Department
of Education. NCES has removed the Foundations of Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018, Title III, Part B, Confidential Information
Protection (``CIPSEA'') as a confidentiality assurance. However,
confidentiality assurances under the Education Sciences Reform Act of
2002 (ESRA) remain in effect. NCES will consider restoring CIPSEA
protections for future PSS collections as appropriate.
Ross Santy,
Chief Data Officer,Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy
Development.
[FR Doc. 2026-18979 Filed 9-15-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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