The first report by the National Center for Education Statistics to focus on private school students’ performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress has found that in all subjects tested during 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2005, private school students performed better on average than public school students did.
“Student Achievement in Private Schools: Results from NAEP 2000-2005" is available from the National Center for Education Statistics.
The report looks at the NAEP test scores of students in Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and conservative Christian schools, as well as the scores of all private school students. In a number of the subject and grade combinations studied, Catholic and Lutheran schools had slightly higher test scores than con-servative Christian schools did.
The report notes that private schools enroll a lower proportion of minority children, English-language learners, students with disabilities, and those eligible for free or reduced-priced school lunches than public schools do.
