Private Schools and Student Achievement

Abstract We investigate the effects of private schools on reading and numeracy scores using rich population data. Conditional on lagged test scores and narrowly defined neighborhood indicators, Catholic and non-Christian faith private schools on average raise test scores by 0.18 standard deviation or more relative to the average public school, while non-Catholic Christian private schools have negligible effects. The effects of secular private “prep” schools are similar to those of Catholic schools, but selection bias is a greater concern in this case. We use school-specific estimates of effectiveness to investigate private school choice decisions and the determinants of private school effectiveness.