Religion and Education There is religious freedom in the United
States, and the overwhelming majority of Americans are
Christians. In turn, the majority of Christians are Protestants,
but of many denominations. The largest single Christian group
embraces members (some 61 million in 1999) of the Roman Catholic
Church; the Orthodox Eastern Church is also represented. In
addition, roughly 2.5% of Americans adhere to Judaism, and some
1%–2% are Muslims. Education in the United States is
administered chiefly by the states. Each of the 50 states has a
free and public primary and secondary school system. There are
also in the United States more than 3,500 institutions of higher
learning, both privately supported and state supported (see
separate articles on individual colleges and universities).
Sections in this article: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia,
6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights
reserved.