Private vs Public, test scores.

NAEP Report Cards

The National Center for Education Statistics periodically administers the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to test the knowledge and skills of the nation's students in grades 4, 8, and 12. Students in private schools consistently score well above the national average. At all three grades a significantly higher percentage of private school students score at or above the Basic, Proficient, and Advanced levels than public school students. Below are the results from the most recent NAEP report cards.

NAEP 2009 Math Report Card

Percentage of Students in Public and Private Schools At or Above Various Achievement Levels
Grade 4
	Private	Public
Basic	89	81
Proficient	47	38
Advanced	7	6
Grade 8
	Private	Public
Basic	85	71
Proficient	47	33
Advanced	13	7

NAEP 2009 Reading Report Card

Percentage of Students in Public and Private Schools At or Above Various Achievement Levels
Grade 4
	Private	Public
Basic	81	66
Proficient	48	32
Advanced	13	7
Grade 8
	Private	Public
Basic	92	74
Proficient	52	30
Advanced	6	2

NAEP 2007 Writing Report Card

Percentage of Students in Public and Private Schools At or Above Various Achievement Levels
Grade 8
	Private	Public
Basic	96	87
Proficient	52	31
Advanced	4	2

NAEP 2010 U.S. History Report Card

Percentage of Students in Public and Private Schools At or Above Various Achievement Levels
Grade 8
	Private	Public
Basic	87	68
Proficient	29	16
Advanced	2	1

NAEP 2010 Civics Report Card

Percentage of Students in Public and Private Schools At or Above Various Achievement Levels
Grade 8
	Private	Public
Basic	91	70
Proficient	38	21
Advanced	3	1

NAEP 2009 Science Report Card

Percentage of Students in Public and Private Schools At or Above Various Achievement Levels
Grade 4
	Private	Public
Basic	85	71
Proficient	48	32
Advanced	1	1
Grade 8
	Private	Public
Basic	80	62
Proficient	44	29
Advanced	3	1

What do the achievement levels mean?

Basic Level...	denotes partial mastery of the knowledge and skills fundamental for proficient work at a given grade.
Proficient Level...	represents solid academic performance, and competency over challenging subject matter. The proficient level is identified as the standard that all students should reach.
Advanced Level...	signifies superior performance at a given grade.