INSIDE:

U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES 2006-459

Results From NAEP 2000–2005

EXECUTIVE 

SUMMARY 

INTRODUCTION 

STUDENT 

CHARACTERISTICS

STUDENT

PERFORMANCE

SCORE CHANGES

STUDENT GROUP 

PERFORMANCE

STUDENT GROUP

CHANGES

TECHNICAL AND

DATA APPENDIX

1

2

4

7

10

12

CONTENTS

Student Achievement 

in Private Schools

14

16

National Assessment of Educational Progress

The Nation’s Report CardTM
The Nation’s Report CardTM, the National Assessment of 

Educational Progress (NAEP), is a nationally representative 

and continuing assessment of what America’s students know 

and can do in various subject areas. For over three decades, 

assessments have been conducted periodically in reading, 

mathematics, science, writing, history, geography, and other 

subjects.

 By making objective information on student performance 

available to policymakers at the national, state, and local 

levels, NAEP is an integral part of our nation’s evaluation 

of the condition and progress of education. Only information related to academic achievement and relevant variables 

is collected under this program. The privacy of individual 

students and their families is protected, and the identities of 

participating schools are not released. 

 NAEP is a congressionally mandated project of the 

National Center for Education Statistics within the 

Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department 

of Education. The Commissioner of Education Statistics 

is responsible, by law, for carrying out the NAEP project 

through competitive awards to qualified organizations.

 In 1988, Congress established the National Assessment 

Governing Board (NAGB) to oversee and set policy for 

NAEP. The Board is responsible for selecting the subject 

areas to be assessed; setting appropriate student achievement levels; developing assessment objectives and test 

specifications; developing a process for the review of the 

assessment; designing the assessment methodology; developing guidelines for reporting and disseminating NAEP 

results; developing standards and procedures for interstate, regional, and national comparisons; determining 

the appropriateness of all assessment items and ensuring 

the assessment items are free from bias and are secular, 

neutral, and nonideological; taking actions to improve the 

form, content, use, and reporting of results of the National 

Assessment; and planning and executing the initial public 

release of NAEP reports.

The National Assessment Governing Board

 What is The Nation’s Report CardTM?

Darvin M. Winick, Chair

President

Winick & Associates

Dickinson, Texas 

Sheila M. Ford, Vice Chair 

Former Principal

Horace Mann Elementary 

School

Washington, D.C.

Francie Alexander

Chief Academic Officer, 

Scholastic, Inc.

Senior Vice President, 

Scholastic Education

New York, New York 

David J. Alukonis

Chairman

Hudson School Board

Hudson, New Hampshire 

Amanda P. Avallone 

Assistant Principal and 

Eighth-Grade Teacher

Summit Middle School 

Boulder, Colorado 

Honorable Jeb Bush

Governor of Florida

Tallahassee, Florida

Barbara Byrd-Bennett

Chief Executive Officer

Cleveland Municipal School 

District

Cleveland, Ohio

Carl A. Cohn 

Superintendent

San Diego City Schools

San Diego, California

Shirley V. Dickson

Educational Consultant 

Laguna Niguel, California 

John Q. Easton

Executive Director

Consortium on Chicago 

School Research

Chicago, Illinois

David W. Gordon 

Sacramento County 

Superintendent of Schools 

Sacramento County Office 

of Education 

Sacramento, California 

Kathi M. King

Twelfth-Grade Teacher

Messalonskee High School

Oakland, Maine

Honorable Keith King 

Member

Colorado House of 

Representatives

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Kim Kozbial-Hess

Fourth-Grade Teacher

Fall-Meyer Elementary School

Toledo, Ohio

Andrew C. Porter 

Director

Learning Sciences Institute

Peabody College

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee 

Luis A. Ramos 

Community Relations 

Manager

PPL Susquehanna

Berwick, Pennsylvania 

Mark D. Reckase

Professor

Measurement and 

Quantitative Methods

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

John H. Stevens 

Executive Director

Texas Business and 

Education Coalition

Austin, Texas

Mary Frances Taymans, SND

Executive Director

National Catholic 

Educational Association

Washington, D.C.

Oscar A. Troncoso

Principal

Socorro High School

Socorro Independent School 

District

El Paso, Texas

Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack

Governor of Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Michael E. Ward

Former State Superintendent 

of Public Instruction

North Carolina Public Schools

Jackson, Mississippi

Eileen L. Weiser

Member, State Board of 

Education 

Michigan Department of 

Education

Lansing, Michigan

Grover J. Whitehurst 

(Ex officio)

Director 

Institute of Education 

Sciences

U.S. Department of 

Education

Washington, D.C.

Charles E. Smith

Executive Director,

NAGB

Washington, D.C.

U.S. Department of 

Education

Margaret Spellings

Secretary

Institute of Education 

Sciences

Grover J. Whitehurst

Director

National Center for 

Education Statistics

Mark Schneider

Commissioner

December 2005

The Nation’s Report CardTM
 Executive Summary

This report is the first to focus on private school students’ performance on NAEP assessments. It provides 

results in reading, mathematics, science, and writing 

in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2005. Specifically, it focuses 

on the three private school types that combined enroll 

the greatest proportion of private school students 

(Catholic, Lutheran, and Conservative Christian) as 

well as private schools overall. It also compares the performance of students in these schools to that of public 

school students to provide additional perspective. 

 Comparing student 

performance among 

the three types of private schools highlights 

several differences at 

grades 4 and 8 and 

a few at grade 12. 

Among the three types 

of private schools, few 

significant differences 

in performance were 

found at grade 12. The exceptions were that in 2000, 

the average score in science for grade 12 students in 

Catholic schools was 6 points higher than for students 

in Lutheran schools, and that in the 2000 mathematics assessment, a higher percentage of twelfth-graders 

in Catholic schools performed at or above Proficient

than twelfth-graders in Conservative Christian schools. 

Where differences existed at grades 4 and 8, students 

in Lutheran schools generally outperformed those in 

Conservative Christian schools. In some grade/subject 

combinations, Lutheran school students outperformed 

Catholic school students, and Catholic school students 

outperformed Conservative Christian school students. 

 Students at grades 4, 8, and 12 in all categories of 

private schools had higher average scores in reading, 

mathematics, science, and writing than their counterparts in public schools. In addition, higher percentages 

of students in private schools performed at or above 

Proficient compared to those in public schools. 

 Average scores in mathematics at grades 4 and 8 

increased between 2000 and 2003 for both public and 

private schools overall. Students in Catholic schools also 

had higher average mathematics scores in 2003 than in 

2000 in both grades.

 The three types of private schools have few differences 

in their student demographics, except that Catholic 

schools generally enroll a greater proportion of Hispanic 

students than Lutheran schools. In general, private 

schools enroll a higher proportion of White students 

than public schools, while 

public schools have a 

higher proportion of Black 

and Hispanic students. 

Private schools also enroll 

a smaller proportion of 

students with disabilities, 

English language learners, and students eligible 

for free or reduced-price 

school lunch.

 Black and Hispanic fourth-graders in all private 

schools combined had higher average mathematics 

scores in 2003 than in 2000. However, no significant 

differences in scores were found across the same time 

period for Black and Hispanic private school students in 

grade 4 reading or grade 8 mathematics. 

 A word of caution is needed: The data in this report 

provide a summary of the performance of students in 

public and private schools. The number of assessed 

students in some types of private schools is small, so it 

is not always feasible to make statistically meaningful 

comparisons between the performance of public school 

students and students in particular types of private 

schools. Factors not reported here, such as admission 

policies and parental involvement, can also influence 

student achievement. 

 Students in Lutheran 

schools outperformed 

students in Conservative 

Christian schools in 

some instances in 

grades 4 and 8.

Private schools 

generally enroll a 

smaller proportion of 

Black and Hispanic 

students than public 

schools.

1

Student Achievement in Private Schools
For More Info...

The NAEP website (http://nces.

ed.gov/nationsreportcard/) provides 

an array of information and results 

from the main NAEP assessments 

in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2005, 

including PDF versions of all NAEP 

reports, a data tool for exploring the 

summary results and calculating 

statistical significance of differences, 

and a tool for examining released 

questions from the assessment.

Subject-area frameworks for the 

NAEP assessments are available 

on the NAGB website (http://www.

nagb.org/pubs/pubs.html).

!

1Eighth- and twelfth-grade students reported the highest level of education attained by either parent. Parental education data from fourth-graders are not reported because research 

indicates that these students are less likely to report data accurately.

Introduction

The National Assessment of 

Educational Progress (NAEP) measures 

the knowledge of students in grades 4, 

8, and 12 in a variety of subject areas. 

About 10 percent of the entire U.S. 

school population, almost 5.3 million students, attended private schools 

during the 2001–02 school year 

(Broughman and Pugh 2004). This 

report provides NAEP results for private schools in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 

some in 2005. The subjects addressed 

in this report are reading and writing at 

grades 4 and 8, and mathematics and 

science at grades 4, 8, and 12. 

What Information Is Available 

From NAEP About Private 

Schools?

In the 1970s and 1980s, the NAEP 

long-term trend assessment reported 

data separately for public school 

students and for all private school students, without distinguishing among 

types of private schools. Beginning in 

1990, main NAEP also has reported 

performance data separately for private 

school students in Catholic and in 

non-Catholic schools. NAEP further 

increased the number of reporting 

categories for private schools for the 

2000 assessments to include Catholic, 

Lutheran, Conservative Christian, 

Other Religious, and Nonsectarian. 

Different reporting categories for private schools were used in 2002 and 

2003. In 2005, data were available only 

for Catholic and Lutheran schools. 

Table 1 shows the types of private 

schools for which NAEP collected 

reportable data in each subject and 

assessment year.

What Findings Are Discussed 

in This Report?

For the past 30 years, NAEP has 

reported that students in private schools 

outperform students in public schools. 

This report confirms that point, but 

also looks more closely at NAEP 

results for three types of private schools: 

Catholic, Lutheran, and Conservative 

Christian. Combined, these schools 

enroll the majority of private school 

students, and they participated in 

NAEP at most grades in 2000, 2002, 

and 2003. This is the first NAEP 

report to compare the performance of 

students in these three types of private 

schools.

 In this report, results of the 2000, 

2002, and 2003 NAEP assessments for 

Catholic, Lutheran, and Conservative 

Christian schools are compared with 

each other. Although all categories of 

private schools are included in the total 

for "overall" private, only these three 

categories are shown separately. An 

update on 2005 results for Catholic 

and Lutheran schools is also provided. 

Comparisons to public schools are 

also provided as points of reference. 

Results are given for students overall, 

as well as for student groups defined 

by race/ethnicity and—at grades 8 

and 12 only—by the highest level of 

education reached by the students’ 

parents.1 Comparisons over time for 

the 2000–2003 mathematics and reading assessments are included whenever 

possible. Changes in the gaps between 

private and public school students’ 

performance are also discussed. The 

comparisons discussed in this report 

between students in the different 

types of private schools, and between 

students in private schools and public schools, are statistically significant 

unless otherwise stated. 

Enrollment in private 

schools: Fall 2001

Reading Mathematics Science Writing

Type of school 2000 2002 2003 2005 2000 2003 2005 2000 2002

Catholic 2,515,524 (4.7%) 4 4/8/‡ 4/8 4/8/‡ 4/8/12 4/8 4/8/‡ 4/8/12 4/8/‡

Lutheran 219,397 (0.4%) ‡ 4/8/‡ 4/8 4/8/‡ 4/8/12 4/8 4/8/‡ 4/8/12 4/8/‡

Conservative Christian 823,469 (1.6%) ‡ 4/‡/‡ ‡/8 ‡/‡/‡ 4/‡/12 ‡/8 ‡/‡/‡ 4/8/‡ 4/‡/‡

Other Religious 882,009 (1.7%) ‡——— 4/‡/‡ — — ‡/‡/‡ —

Nonsectarian 901,114 (1.7%) ‡——— ‡/‡/‡ — — ‡/‡/‡ —

Other Private — (—) — ‡/‡/‡ ‡/‡ ‡/‡/‡ — ‡/‡ ‡/‡/‡ — ‡/‡/‡

— Not available because data were not collected. 

‡ Reporting standards not met. Data are not reported because participation rates failed to meet minimum NCES standards for reporting.

NOTE: The grade in each cell indicates that reportable data for the category are available at this grade in this subject and year. Percentages of all students enrolled in each type of 

private school are shown in parentheses. Enrollment numbers are for elementary and secondary schools combined.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2001–2002, National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 2000–2005 Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Writing Assessments.

Table 1. Grades assessed with reportable data, by subject and type of private school: Various years, 2000–2005

2

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Achievement levels are performance standards set by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) to help interpret 

student performance on NAEP. The three NAEP achievement levels, from lowest to highest, are

Basic—denotes partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade.

Proficient—represents solid academic performance. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over 

challenging subject matter.

Advanced—signifies superior performance.

Detailed descriptions of the NAEP achievement levels for each subject can be found on the NAGB website 

(http://www.nagb.org/pubs/pubs.html). 

What Are NAEP Achievement Levels?

! Catholic schools included parochial, diocesan, and private 

order schools. 

! Lutheran schools included 

all those that indicated an 

affiliation with any branch of the 

Lutheran Church. 

! Conservative Christian schools 

included all those that indicated 

membership in Accelerated 

Christian Education, American 

Association of Christian Schools, 

Association of Christian Schools 

International, Association of 

Christian Teachers and Schools, 

or the Oral Roberts University 

Educational Fellowship. 

! Other Religious included all 

other schools that indicated 

an affiliation with any other 

religious organization. This 

category was tabulated 

separately only in 2000.

! Nonsectarian schools included 

all private schools without 

an affiliation to any religious 

organization or institution. This 

category was tabulated separately only in 2000.

! Other Private schools included the combined data for 

“Nonsectarian” and “Other 

Religious” schools, when data in 

those categories were too few to 

report separately. This category 

was created in 2002.

 Private School Types How Are Results Reported?

Results are reported in two ways: as 

average scale scores and as percentages 

of students attaining NAEP achievement levels. Average scale scores in 

NAEP measure what students know 

and can do, and are reported on 

0–500 scales in mathematics and reading, with all three grades on the same 

scale; science and writing are reported 

on 0–300 scales with each of the three 

grades on a separate scale.

 Three achievement levels—Basic, 

Proficient, and Advanced—have been 

developed by the National Assessment 

Governing Board (NAGB) to provide 

a context for interpreting student performance on NAEP assessments. These 

achievement levels state what students 

should know and be able to do in each 

subject area and at each grade assessed. 

Further information on achievement 

levels and sample questions associated with these achievement levels can 

be found in previous NAEP reports 

(see, for example, Braswell et al. 2005; 

Donahue, Daane, and Jin 2005) 

or online at http://nces.ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/itemmaps/ or 

http://www.nagb.org/pubs/pubs.html. 

 As provided by law, the National 

Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES), upon review of congressionally mandated evaluations of NAEP, 

has determined that achievement levels are to be used on a trial basis and 

should be interpreted and used with 

caution. However, NCES and NAGB 

have affirmed that these performance 

standards are useful for understanding 

trends in achievement. NAEP achievement levels have been widely used by 

national and state officials for over a 

decade.

Cautions in Interpretation

It is important to note that a relationship 

between a variable and measures of educational 

achievement, like the ones presented in this 

report, does not imply that a difference in 

the variable causes differences in educational 

achievement. Higher performance scores in 

private schools do not imply that the private 

schools are better than public schools, as they 

often serve different populations of students. In 

addition, the results are cross-sectional, rather 

than longitudinal, so they only provide a snapshot for any given point in time. Comparing 

students of a particular demographic group 

may provide more information; however, only 

one characteristic is compared at a time. For 

example, this report compares the performance 

of Black students in different types of schools, 

but it does not compare the performance of 

Black students who are eligible for free school 

lunch across school types, because of limitations of the sample. There are many reasons 

why the performance of one group of students 

differs from another, including factors that are 

not measured in NAEP.

 Some key results are presented in the body 

of the report. Additional data for reading and 

mathematics are found in the Technical and 

Data Appendix. As indicated in the appendix tables, some of the data presented in the 

appendix should be interpreted with caution 

due to the uncertainty of the variability of the 

estimates. Also, estimates based on smaller 

student groups are likely to have relatively large 

standard errors. These large standard errors 

mean that some differences that seem large 

may not be statistically significant. Because 

private school results are based on smaller 

samples, they are less likely to show significant 

differences than the results from public schools. 

Standard errors, as well as additional data on 

science and writing, can be found using the 

NAEP data tool at http://nces.ed.gov/nations

reportcard/nde/. Further explanation is provided in the Technical and Data Appendix.

3

Student Achievement in Private Schools
 Characteristics of Students in Private Schools

Comparison of the characteristics 

of students in different types of private schools can indicate the extent 

to which they are serving different 

student populations. Characteristics 

of public school students are also 

shown for comparison. The student 

groups highlighted here include 

those defined by students’ race/ethnicity, by the level of their parents’

education, by their eligibility to 

receive free or reduced-price school 

lunch, and by whether they have 

been identified as having a disability 

or as English language learners. The 

figures on these pages display the 

data from the 2003 grade 8 reading 

assessment, and are representative 

of findings across the subjects and 

grades. For student demographics

in other grades and subjects, see 

the data appendix and the NAEP 

data tool, http://nces.ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/nde/.

Race/Ethnicity

At all grades and in all subject 

assessments included in this report, 

private schools overall had a higher 

percentage of White students than 

public schools, and public schools 

had higher percentages of Black 

and Hispanic students than private schools. Within the different 

types of private schools, Lutheran 

schools generally enrolled a higher 

percentage of White students than 

Catholic schools, and Catholic 

schools enrolled a higher percentage of Hispanic students than 

Lutheran schools. Figure 1 shows 

the racial/ethnic distributions for 

the 2003 grade 8 reading assessment. The racial/ethnic categories 

shown—White, Black, Hispanic, 

and Asian/Pacific Islander—are 

mutually exclusive. Pacific Islander 

includes Native Hawaiian, and 

Hispanic includes Latino. Race 

Figure 1. Percentage distribution of students who participated in reading 

assessment, by race/ethnicity and type of school, grade 8: 2003

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: At each grade, approximately 1 percent of public school students were classifi ed as American Indian/Alaska Native, while the proportion of students of the same race/ethnicity in private 

schools rounds to zero. Results are not shown for students whose race/ethnicity was "other." 

Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2003 Reading Assessment.

77d

83a,d

72b,d

76d

61

11

8d

9d

9d

17

7d

5a,d

13b

9d

15

3

2d

4

5

4

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Conservative Christian

Catholic

Lutheran

Private

Public

Type of school

Percent

Asian/ Pacific Islander White Black Hispanic

Grade 8

Figure 2. Percentage distribution of students who 

participated in reading assessment, by 

student-reported parents’ highest level of 

education and type of school, grade 8: 2003

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for Other Private 

schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 

National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2003 Reading Assessment. 

1d

1d

1d

7

2d

11d

9d

9d

18

11d

15

15d

13d

18

16

68d

70d

72d

46

65d

6d

5d

5d

11

7d

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Grade 8

Conservative Christian

Catholic

Lutheran

Private

Public

Type of school

Percent

Graduated Unknown from

college

Some education after

high school

Graduated from high school

Less than

high school

categories exclude Hispanic origin 

unless specified. Data for American 

Indian/Alaska Native students are 

included in the total but are not 

broken out separately due to small 

sample sizes.

Parents’ Highest Level of 

Education

When eighth-grade students were 

asked to report their parents’ highest 

level of education, a greater percentage of students in private schools 

compared to public schools reported 

that at least one parent had graduated from college. No statistically 

significant differences in the highest 

level of education reported for at 

least one parent were found for any 

school category among the three 

types of private schools. Figure 2 

provides data at grade 8 from the 

2003 reading assessment.

4

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Free and Reduced-Price 

School Lunch

A student’s eligibility for free or 

reduced-price school lunch, which 

depends on family income, is often 

used as a proxy for a measure of 

socioeconomic status. In the 2003 

reading assessment, 6 percent 

of students in all private schools 

combined were reported as eligible 

for free or reduced-price lunch at 

grade 4, and 11 percent at grade 

8. Approximately 9 percent of 

fourth-graders in both Catholic and 

Lutheran schools were eligible. In 

contrast, public schools reported 

that 44 percent of their fourthgraders were eligible for free or 

reduced-price lunch. 

 However, these data should be 

interpreted with caution because of 

the high percentages of students in 

private schools for whom information was not available. Information 

was not available for about half 

of the fourth-grade students in 

Catholic and Lutheran schools. As 

seen in figure 3, the percentages of 

private school students for whom 

lunch-eligibility information was 

not available are also high for grade 

8. In contrast, information was 

not available for only 6 percent of 

the eighth-grade students in public 

schools. As a result, this report does 

not present performance data by 

groups defined by eligibility for free 

and reduced-price school lunch.

✓ KEY FINDINGS

! Private schools enrolled 

a higher percentage 

of White students and 

a lower percentage of 

Black and Hispanic 

students than public 

schools.

! On average, Lutheran 

schools enrolled a higher 

percentage of White 

students than Catholic 

schools, and Catholic 

schools enrolled a higher 

percentage of Hispanic 

students than Lutheran 

schools.

! For all the assessments 

discussed in this report, 

at each grade, students 

in all types of private 

schools scored higher 

on average than public 

school students. 

! Where differences 

existed at grades 4 and 

8, students in Lutheran 

schools generally outperformed those in 

Conservative Christian 

schools. 

Figure 3. Percentage distribution of students in reading, by students’

eligibility for free/reduced-price school lunch and type of school, 

grade 8: 2003

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

1 For Conservative Christian schools, the percentage of students who were eligible for free/

reduced-price lunch rounds to zero. This percentage is signifi cantly different from the percentages 

in Catholic, Lutheran, and public schools.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for Other Private schools are included in 

the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education 

Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2003 Reading Assessment.

10c,d

13c,d

11d

36

12a,b,d

39c,d

39c,d

29d

58

87a,b,d

50c,d

48c,d

60d

6

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Grade 8

Conservative Christian1

Catholic

Lutheran

Private

Public

Type of school

Percent

Information

not available Eligible Not eligible

5

STUDENT

CHARACTERISTICS

Student Achievement in Private Schools
Figure 4. Percentage distribution of students in reading, by students with disabilities 

and English language learners, and by type of school, grade 8: 2003

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

1 Students with disabilities.

2 English language learners.

3 The percentages of students who are English language learners round to zero in private schools overall and 

in Catholic and Lutheran schools. For private schools overall and for Catholic schools, these percentages are 

signifi cantly different from those for public schools.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall 

Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2003 Reading Assessment.

2d

2d

3d

10

3d

98d

98d

97d

97d

90

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Conservative Christian

Catholic

Lutheran

Private

Public

Type of school

Percent

Yes No

Grade 8

SD1

5

1d 99d

100d

100d

100

95

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Conservative Christian

Catholic3

Lutheran3

Private3

Public

Type of school

Percent

Yes No

Grade 8

ELL2

Students With Disabilities 

(SD) and English Language 

Learners (ELL)

Two other demographic variables 

that were analyzed for this report 

are the percentage of students with 

disabilities and the percentage of 

students identified as English language learners in the different types 

of schools. Figure 4 shows these 

percentages for eighth-graders participating in the reading assessment 

in 2003. Overall, less than 3 percent 

of grade 8 students enrolled in any 

private school were identified as 

SD or ELL. No significant differences in this percentage were found 

among the three private school types 

discussed here. Public schools enroll 

a larger percentage of students who 

are SD, ELL, or both—15 percent.

6

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Figure 5. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in reading, by type of 

school, grades 4 and 8: 2003

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall 

Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2003 Reading Assessment.

216

235 d 235 d 232 d

62 80d 81d 79d

30 48d 48d 44d

250

220

0

500

230

240

260

Scale score

Grade 4

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

210

270

Public Lutheran Private Catholic

261

282 d 281 c,d 281 c,d

276 a,b,d

72 90d 90d 90d 86d

30 53d 51d 52d 46d

250

220

0

500

230

240

260

Scale score

Grade 8

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

210

270

280

290

280

290

Public Conservative

Christian

Private Catholic Lutheran

Type of school Type of school

Few differences in performance were 

found among the three types of 

private schools. Where differences 

were found, students in Lutheran 

schools generally outperformed 

their counterparts in Conservative 

Christian schools. With some exceptions, no significant differences were 

found between the performance 

of students in Lutheran schools 

and Catholic schools. Students in 

Catholic schools outperformed 

students in Conservative Christian 

schools in three of the grade/subject 

combinations. 

 For each assessment discussed in 

this report at each grade, students as 

a whole in every category of private 

schools had a higher average score 

than their counterparts in public 

schools. In addition, higher percentages of students in most categories 

of private schools performed at or 

above Proficient and Basic compared 

to the percentages of public school 

students.

Reading Performance 

As shown in figure 5, among the 

three types of private schools, there 

were no significant differences in 

reading performance at grade 4 

in 2003. The average scale scores 

in 2003 for students at grade 8 in 

both Catholic and Lutheran schools 

were higher than the average score 

for those in Conservative Christian 

schools.

 Students in all types of private 

schools at both grades 4 and 8 had 

higher average reading scores in 

2003 than students at the same 

grade in public schools. Also, higher 

percentages of students at grades 

4 and 8 performed at or above 

Proficient and at or above Basic

in reading in all private schools 

combined, as well as in all the subcategories of private schools, than 

in public schools. No significant 

differences in these percentages were 

found among the three types of private schools at either grade.

Performance of Students in Private Schools

7

STUDENT

PERFORMANCE

Student Achievement in Private Schools
Figure 6. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in mathematics, by type of school, grades 4, 8, and 12: 2000 and 2003

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools. 

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools. 

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and data for Other Private schools for 2003 are included in the overall 

Private data for those years but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 and 

2003 Mathematics Assessments.

234

244d 244d 245d

76 88d 88d 90d

31 44d 43d 46d

270

240

0

500

250

260

280

Scale score

Grade 4

2003

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

230

290

Public Lutheran Private Catholic

276

292d 289b,d

296a,c,d

286b,d

67 82d 81d 86d 78d

27 43d 39b,d 48a,c,d 37b,d

270

240

0

500

250

260

280

Scale score

Grade 8

2003

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

230

290

Public Conservative

Christian

Private Catholic Lutheran

299

315d 314d 312d 310d

62 81d 80d 78d 79d

16 26d 25c,d 23d 17a

270

240

0

500

250

260

280

Scale score

Grade 12

2000

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

230

290

300

310

320

300

310

320

300

310

320

Public Conservative

Christian

Private Catholic Lutheran

Type of school Type of school Type of school

Mathematics Performance 

Figure 6 shows that at grade 4 

there were no significant differences in mathematics performance 

between students in Catholic and 

Lutheran schools in 2003. At grade 

8, students in Lutheran schools 

scored higher on average than students in Catholic and Conservative 

Christian schools in 2003. A greater 

percentage of eighth-graders in 

Lutheran schools also performed 

at or above Proficient in 2003 than 

their counterparts in Catholic and 

Conservative Christian schools. 

There were no significant differences 

in average scores among the three 

types of private schools at grade 12 

in 2000.

 In 2003, students at grades 4 and 

8 in private schools overall, and 

in all types of private schools with 

reportable data, had higher average 

scores in mathematics than students 

in public schools. Similar results 

were seen for grade 12 in 2000 (the 

most recent mathematics assessment for that grade). Also, higher 

percentages of students at all three 

grades in private schools overall, and 

in Catholic and Lutheran schools, 

performed at or above Proficient and 

at or above Basic, compared to their 

counterparts in public schools. 

Science Performance

Figure 7 shows results from the 

most recent science assessment in 

2000. Fourth-graders in Lutheran 

schools scored 8 points higher, on 

average, than their counterparts in 

Conservative Christian schools. No 

significant differences were seen 

among eighth-grade students in 

the three private school types. The 

average score of twelfth-graders in 

Catholic schools was 6 points higher 

than the average score of twelfthgraders in Lutheran schools. Also, 

a greater percentage of Catholic 

school students at grade 12 than 

their peers in Lutheran schools 

performed at or above Basic. These 

twelfth-grade science results are 

the only overall results in which 

students in Catholic schools outperformed their Lutheran school 

counterparts.

 In 2000, students at grades 4, 8, 

and 12 in all categories of private 

schools with reportable data had 

higher average scores in science than 

students in public schools. Higher 

percentages of students at grades 4 

and 8 in all private school categories 

performed at or above Proficient in 

comparison to their counterparts in 

public schools. At grade 12, higher 

percentages of students in private 

schools overall and in Catholic 

schools than students in public 

schools performed at or above 

Proficient.

8

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Figure 8. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in writing, by type of school, grades 4 and 8: 2002

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools. 

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools. 

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP writing scale ranges from 0 to 300. Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2002 Writing Assessment. 

153

166d 166c,d 167c,d

159a,b,d

85 94d 95d 95d 93d

27 38d 38c,d 41c,d 29a,b

160

130

0

300

140

150

170

Scale score

Grade 4

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

120

180

Public Conservative

Christian

Private Catholic Lutheran

152

170d 172d 168d

84 95d 97d 95d

30 47d 49d 45d

160

130

0

300

140

150

170

Scale score

Grade 8

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

120

180

Public Lutheran Private Catholic

Type of school Type of school

Figure 7. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in science, by type of school, grades 4, 8, and 12: 2000

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools. 

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools. 

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP science scale ranges from 0 to 300. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 Science Assessment. 

147

162d 161d 166c,d

158b,d

62 82d 81d 85d 78d

27 41d 39d 46d 35d

160

130

0

300

140

150

170

Scale score

Grade 4

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

120

180

Public Conservative

Christian

Private Catholic Lutheran

149

166d 165d 169d

162d

59 80d 79d 84d 75d

30 47d 45d 50d 40d

160

130

0

300

140

150

170

Scale score

Grade 8

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

120

180

Public Conservative

Christian

Private Catholic Lutheran

145

160d 161b,d

155a,d

50 70d 71b,d 63a,d

17 28d 28d 22

160

130

0

300

140

150

170

Scale score

Grade 12

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

120

180

Public Lutheran Private Catholic

Type of school Type of school Type of school

Writing Performance

Figure 8 shows results from the most 

recent writing assessment in 2002. 

Average scores for fourth-graders 

in Catholic and Lutheran schools 

were higher than the average score 

for fourth-graders in Conservative 

Christian schools. The percentages 

of students at grade 4 who scored 

at or above Proficient were higher in 

Catholic and Lutheran schools than 

in Conservative Christian schools. 

There were no significant differences 

in performance among the three private school types at grade 8.

 In 2002, students at grades 4 and 

8 in private schools overall, and 

in Catholic and Lutheran schools, 

had higher average scores in writing 

than students in the same grades in 

public schools. Students at grade 4 

in Conservative Christian schools 

scored higher on average than their 

counterparts in public schools. 

Higher percentages of fourth- and 

eighth-grade students in private 

schools overall, in Catholic, and 

in Lutheran schools performed at 

or above Proficient in writing in 

comparison to their counterparts in 

public schools. 

9

STUDENT

PERFORMANCE

Student Achievement in Private Schools
 Changes in Scores for Public and Private Schools

Changes in performance between 

2000 and 2003 can be examined for 

reading at grade 4 and mathematics 

at grades 4 and 8. Studying changes 

over time will help to determine 

which types of schools are making 

strides in improving student achievement as well as provide an indicator 

of changing demographics. Changes 

in overall average scale scores are 

shown in this section. Additional 

results, including changes in achievement-level performance and changes 

for particular student groups, can be 

found in the data appendix.

Grade 4 Reading Changes

As shown in figure 9, the apparent 

increase between 2000 and 2003 in 

the average reading score for private 

school students was not statistically 

significant. Catholic schools were the 

only private school type with reliable data in both 2000 and 2003. 

The apparent increase of 6 points 

between those two years was also not 

statistically significant. Public school 

students showed an improvement of 

5 points in the average reading score 

during the same time. There was no 

statistically significant change in the 

reading score gap between public 

and private school fourth-graders 

from 2000, when it was 20 points, to 

2003, when it was 18 points.

Grade 4 Mathematics 

Changes

At grade 4, improvements in average 

mathematics scores between 2000 

and 2003 were seen in almost all 

types of schools, including private 

overall, Catholic, Lutheran, and public schools (see figure 10). Average 

scores in Catholic and Lutheran 

schools increased by 7 and 4 points, 

respectively, while average scores 

for all private schools combined 

increased 6 points. Average scores in 

public schools increased by 10 points 

in this same time period. The publicprivate score gap decreased from 14 

points in 2000 to 10 points in 2003.

Grade 8 Mathematics 

Changes

As shown in figure 11, average mathematics scores increased between 

2000 and 2003 for eighth-grade 

students in all private schools combined, in Catholic schools, and in 

public schools. The average score 

for Catholic schools increased by 6 

points between 2000 and 2003. The 

apparent increase during that same 

time in average score for Lutheran 

schools was not statistically significant. The difference between average 

mathematics scores of eighth-grade 

students in public and private schools 

did not change significantly between 

2000, when it was 15 points, and 

2003, when it was 16 points.

2005 Private School Results

The 2005 results for private school 

students overall are not presented 

because the participation rates for this 

group were too low to produce valid 

and reliable estimates. Results are, 

however, available for students who 

attended two types of private schools: 

Catholic and Lutheran. Only these 

two private school types had sufficient participation rates to produce 

valid and reliable results.

 In reading, the average scores for 

Catholic and Lutheran students were 

not significantly different in 2005 

than in any previous assessment year 

in both grades 4 and 8. Likewise, the 

average mathematics scores for both 

types of schools did not differ significantly from those in previous years in 

either grade. No differences between 

2005 and previous assessment 

years were seen in the percentage of 

Reading Mathematics

Type of school Average scale score

Percentage of students

Average scale score

Percentage of students

At or above Basic At or above Proficient At or above Basic At or above Proficient

Grade 4

 Catholic 234 80 46 244 88 43

 Lutheran 231 77 44 245 89 47

Grade 8

 Catholic 280 90 49 290 81 40

 Lutheran 280 89 49 293 84 44

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2005 Reading and Mathematics Assessments.

students performing at or above 

Proficient or at or above Basic at 

either grade 4 or 8 in either subject. 

No differences were seen in 2005 

between the two types of private 

schools on any measure.

 These data and other 2005 data 

are available through the NAEP 

data tool (http://nces.ed.gov/nations

reportcard/nde/.)

10

The Nation’s Report CardTM
11

SCORE CHANGES

Figure 9. Average reading scale scores, by type of school, grade 4: 2000 and 2003

* Signifi cantly different from 2003.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and 

data for Other Private schools for 2003 are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 and 2003 Reading Assessments.

240

210

0

500

220

230

250

Scale score

200

260

280

270

290

300

211*

231 229

216

235 235

Public Private Catholic 2000 2003

Grade 4

Figure 10. Average mathematics scale scores, by type of school, grade 4: 2000 and 2003

* Signifi cantly different from 2003.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 

and data for Other Private schools for 2003 are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported 

separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 and 2003 Mathematics Assessments.

234

244 244 245

224*

238* 237* 241* 240

210

0

500

220

230

250

Scale score

Public Private Catholic Lutheran

200

260

280

270

290

300

2000 2003

Grade 4

Figure 11. Average mathematics scale scores, by type of school, grade 8: 2000 and 2003

* Signifi cantly different from 2003.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and 

data for Other Private schools for 2003 are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 and 2003 Mathematics Assessments.

272*

286* 284*

292

240

210

0

500

220

230

250

Scale score

Public Private Catholic Lutheran

200

260

280

270

290

300

276

292 289

296

2000 2003

Grade 8

Student Achievement in Private Schools
 Average Performance for Various Student Groups

12

NAEP gathers information related 

to academic achievement from 

school records and from questionnaires administered to the students 

it assesses. The groups highlighted in 

this report include those defined by 

students’ race/ethnicity and by level 

of parents’ education. Further results 

for these groups, and information 

on results by gender, can be found 

in the data appendix for reading and 

mathematics and in the data tool 

for writing and science (http://nces.

ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/.)

Race/Ethnicity

No significant differences were 

found in the performance of Black 

students or Hispanic students in 

the three types of private schools. 

In several instances, White students 

in Catholic and Lutheran schools 

had higher average scores than 

White students at the same grade 

in Conservative Christian schools. 

For instance, at grade 4, White students in Catholic schools had higher 

average scores on the 2002 writing 

assessment than White students in 

Conservative Christian schools. At 

grade 8, White students in Catholic 

schools scored higher, on average, 

on the 2003 reading assessment 

than White students in Conservative 

Christian schools. White eighthgrade students in Lutheran schools 

also had higher average mathematics 

scores in 2003 than their counterparts in Conservative Christian 

schools.

 In private schools overall, in every 

case but one, students from each 

racial/ethnic category had higher 

average scores than their counterparts in public schools in the most 

recent assessment year. The one 

exception was in grade 4 mathematics (shown in figure 12), where there 

was no statistically significant difference between the average scores 

of Asian/Pacific Islander students in 

public schools (246) and in private 

schools overall (249) in 2003.

 White students and Hispanic 

students in Catholic schools scored 

higher on average than public school 

students of the same race/ethnicity 

in every subject and grade where the 

sample size was sufficient to produce 

a reliable estimate. Black students in 

Catholic schools had higher average 

scores than Black students in public 

schools in all subjects and grades, 

except in grade 4 mathematics and 

grade 4 writing, where the apparent 

differences were not statistically significant. 

 Again, as with the average scores, 

generally a greater percentage of 

students in private schools performed at or above Proficient than 

their counterparts in public schools, 

regardless of their racial/ethnic background. However, there were some 

exceptions. For example, there was 

no statistically significant difference 

between the percentages of Asian/

Pacific Islander students performing 

at or above Proficient in mathematics and writing in private schools 

overall compared to public schools 

at grade 4. 

Parents’ Highest Level of 

Education

Within each level of parents’ highest educational attainment, there 

were almost no differences in the 

performance of students among 

the three types of private schools. 

Figure 13 illustrates these findings 

with grade 8 data from the 2003 

reading assessment. Additional data 

are provided in the data appendix. 

The exceptions were in grade 8 

mathematics and grade 12 science. 

In 2003, the average mathematics 

score of eighth-graders in Lutheran 

schools who reported that at least 

one parent graduated from college 

was higher than the average scores 

of their counterparts in Catholic 

and Conservative Christian schools. 

In 2000, the average science score of 

twelfth-graders in Catholic schools 

who reported that one parent 

received some education after high 

school was higher than the average score of students in Lutheran 

schools reporting the same parental 

education level.

 In almost all cases, the average 

scores of students in all types of 

private schools were higher than 

those of their counterparts in public 

schools for each reported level of 

their parents’ education. Exceptions 

to this pattern occurred in mathematics and science at grades 8 and 

12, where there were no significant differences between the average scores of 

students in public and private schools 

for certain categories of parents' education. 

 In both eighth and twelfth grades 

and in all subjects included in this 

report, a greater percentage of students reporting that at least one 

parent graduated from college than 

their counterparts in public schools 

performed at or above Proficient.

The Nation’s Report CardTM
13

STUDENT GROUP

PERFORMANCE

Figure 12. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in mathematics, by race/ethnicity and type of school, grade 4: 2003

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

1 Data for Hispanic and Asian/Pacifi c Islander students attending Lutheran schools are not shown because sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2003 Mathematics Assessment. 

221

231d 229d

62 76d 72d

15 24d 22

230

200

0

500

210

220

240

Scale score

Hispanic1

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

190

250

Public Catholic Private

246 249

242

87 93 89

48 49 36

230

200

0

500

210

220

240

Scale score

Asian/

Pacific Islander1

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

190

250

Public Catholic Private

243

248d 248d 248d

87 92d 93d 93d

42 50d 50d 50

230

200

0

500

210

220

240

Scale score

White

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

190

250

Public Lutheran Private Catholic

216

221d 222

227!d

54 62d 64 72!

10 13 13 16!

230

200

0

500

210

220

240

Scale score

Black

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

190

250

Public Lutheran Private Catholic

Type of school Type of school Type of school Type of school

Grade 4

Figure 13. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in reading, by student-reported parents’ highest level of education and 

type of school, grade 8: 2003

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

1 Data for Catholic, Lutheran, and Conservative Christian are not shown because sample sizes are insuffi cient to permit reliable estimates of these categories for students 

whose parents’ reported education level is less than high school.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2003 Reading Assessment.

271

287 d 285 d 286 d 282 d

81 93d 93d 92d 90d

41 60d 57d 59d 52d

270

240

0

500

250

260

280

Scale score

Graduated from college

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

230

290

Public Conservative

Christian

Private Catholic Lutheran

Type of school Type of school Type of school Type of school

245

263 d

55 74d

13 34d

270

240

0

500

250

260

280

Scale score

Less than high school 1

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

230

290

Public Private

253

268 d 269 d 271 d

263 d

65 81d 82d 84d 77

19 34d 34d 37 26

270

240

0

500

250

260

280

Scale score

Graduated from high school

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

230

290

Public Conservative

Christian

Private Catholic Lutheran

266

277 d 277 d 276 d 275 d

79 88d 88d 89d 86

32 46d 45d 47 43

270

240

0

500

250

260

280

Scale score

Some education after high school

% at or above

Basic

% at or above

Proficient

230

290

Public Conservative

Christian

Private Catholic Lutheran

Grade 8

Student Achievement in Private Schools
14

 Changes in Average Scores for Racial/Ethnic Groups

Because of the strong national 

emphasis on reducing the achievement gaps between minority and 

nonminority students, it is informative to examine the changes in 

average scores by race/ethnicity 

(see tables 2 and 3). This section 

examines the White – Black and 

White – Hispanic score gaps in 

private schools. Because the sample 

sizes for Black and Hispanic students in private schools were small, 

resulting in large standard errors, 

tests of statistical significance may 

show no difference in cases where 

the differences appear large.

Grade 4 Reading

No significant improvements in 

average reading scores for any 

racial/ethnic group were detected for 

any type of private school between 

2000 and 2003. For public school 

students, average reading scores 

increased between 2000 and 2003 

at grade 4 for Whites (by 4 points), 

Blacks (by 9 points), and Hispanics 

(by 11 points). 

 Comparing the White – Black 

and White – Hispanic reading 

score gaps between 2000 and 2003 

showed no statistically significant 

change in any type of school, with 

one exception. The White – Hispanic 

score gap decreased by 7 points 

between 2000 and 2003 for public 

school students. 

Grade 4 Mathematics

The average mathematics scores 

in private schools overall increased 

for White, Black, and Hispanic 

fourth-graders between 2000 and 

2003. Average scores for White and 

Hispanic fourth-graders in Catholic 

schools also increased between 2000 

and 2003. In Lutheran schools, the 

average score for White students 

increased by 6 points from 2000 to 

2003. The apparent changes in the 

White – Black and White – Hispanic 

score gaps between 2000 and 2003 

were not statistically significant in 

any of the types of private schools. 

In contrast, the score gaps between 

White and Black students and 

between White and Hispanic students in public schools decreased 

between 2000 and 2003. 

Grade 8 Mathematics

Average scores for White eighthgraders increased between 2000 

and 2003 in private schools overall 

and in Catholic schools. In public 

schools, average mathematics scores 

for White, Black, and Hispanic 

eighth-graders increased between 

2000 and 2003, by 4, 8, and 6 points, 

respectively. The White – Black 

score gap decreased between 2000 

and 2003 in public schools only. No 

statistically significant changes in 

the score gaps between White and 

Hispanic students were detected for 

any type of school.

The Nation’s Report CardTM
15

Table 3. Average scale scores and score gaps for White and Hispanic students in reading and mathematics, by type of school, grades 4 

and 8: 2000 and 2003

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

* Statistically signifi cant change.

NOTE: The NAEP reading and mathematics scales each range from 0 to 500. Score differences are calculated based on differences between unrounded average scale 

scores. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and data for Other Private schools for 2003 are included in the overall Private data for those years but 

not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 

and 2003 Reading and Mathematics Assessments.

Table 2. Average scale scores and score gaps for White and Black students in reading and mathematics, by type of school, grades 4 

and 8: 2000 and 2003

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

* Statistically signifi cant change.

NOTE: The NAEP reading and mathematics scales each range from 0 to 500. Score differences are calculated based on differences between unrounded average scale 

scores. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and data for Other Private schools for 2003 are included in the overall Private data for those years but 

not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 

and 2003 Reading and Mathematics Assessments.

Grade, subject, 

and type of school

Average scale score White average score minus 

Black average score White Black

2000 2003 Difference 2000 2003 Difference 2000 2003 Difference

 Grade 4

 Reading

Public 223 227 4 * 189 197 9 * 34 30 -4

Private 236 239 3 213 ! 210 -3 24 29 6

Catholic 236 240 4 209 ! 211 1 27 29 3

 Mathematics

Public 233 243 9 * 203 216 13 * 30 27 -4 *

Private 241 248 7 * 213 221 8 * 29 27 -2

Catholic 241 248 7 * 210 222 12 31 26 -5

 Grade 8

 Mathematics

Public 283 287 4 * 243 252 8 * 40 35 -5 *

Private 291 297 6 * 258 260 2 33 37 4

Catholic 289 296 7 * 254 ! 260 6 35 36 1

Grade, subject, 

and type of school

Average scale score White average score minus 

Hispanic average score White Hispanic

2000 2003 Difference 2000 2003 Difference 2000 2003 Difference

 Grade 4

 Reading

Public 223 227 4 * 188 199 11 * 35 28 -7 *

Private 236 239 3 215 220 5 21 19 -2

Catholic 236 240 4 211 ! 219 8 25 21 -4

 Mathematics

Public 233 243 9 * 207 221 14 * 26 21 -5 *

Private 241 248 7 * 220 231 11 * 21 17 -4

Catholic 241 248 7 * 217 229 11 * 24 20 -4

 Grade 8

 Mathematics

Public 283 287 4 * 252 258 6 * 31 28 -3

Private 291 297 6 * 273 274 1 18 23 5

Catholic 289 296 7 * 271 272 1 18 24 6

Student Achievement in Private Schools
16

The Nation’s Report CardTM

 Technical and Data Appendix

2005, the participation rates of private schools 

overall did not meet the participation rate standard, 

and therefore their results are not reported. 

See http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nrc/

reading_math_2005/s0089.asp for information 

on 2005 participation rates.

Assessed Students

Every effort is made to ensure that all sampled 

students who are capable of participating in the 

assessment are assessed. A sampled student who is 

identified by the school as a student with a disability 

or as an English language learner may be tested with 

accommodations allowed by NAEP; students so identified may be excluded from the assessment if they do 

not meet criteria for inclusion established by NAEP. 

Tables A-1 through A-4 display the participation and 

exclusion rates for all four subjects. At grade 4, public 

schools in the national sample excluded 4 percent 

of students in mathematics and 6 percent in reading in 2003. At grade 8, the exclusion rates in public 

schools were 4 percent in mathematics and 5 percent 

in reading in 2003. The comparable exclusion rates 

in private schools were less than 1 percent in both 

subjects at both grades. 

Definitions of Variables

Information on race/ethnicity is presented for White, 

Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander students 

based on school records. Results for other races or 

ethnicities are not presented in the body of the report 

because sample sizes were too small to meet reporting 

standards. Data on American Indian/Alaska Native 

students are presented in the data appendix when 

available.

 Parents’ highest level of education is defined by the 

highest level reported by eighth-graders and twelfthgraders for either parent. Fourth-graders’ replies to 

this question were not reported because their responses in previous studies were highly variable, and a large 

percentage of them chose the “I don’t know” option.

NAEP Sampling Procedures

The schools and students participating in NAEP 

assessments are chosen to be nationally representative. 

The results from the assessed students are combined 

and weighted to provide accurate estimates of overall 

public and private school performance. The sampling 

weights are also used to adjust for nonresponse and in 

estimating percentages of students in various student 

groups. To obtain reliable data on the private school 

students, private schools were oversampled beginning 

with the 2000 assessment. Scores were then weighted 

appropriately to provide national estimates.

School Participation Rates

In order to ensure unbiased samples, NCES and 

NAGB standards require that the weighted school 

participation rate before substitution of replacement 

schools be 70 percent or higher. All data presented 

in this report are based on samples meeting this standard. Sample sizes and participation rates are shown 

in tables A-1 through A-4. Samples for Conservative 

Christian schools did not meet the participation rate 

standard in the following assessments, and therefore 

their results are not reported for these assessments: 

grade 8 mathematics and grade 12 science in 2000; 

grades 8 and 12 reading and writing in 2002; grade 4 

reading and mathematics in 2003; and grades 4 and 

8 reading and mathematics in 2005. 

 In 2003, the participation rates of private schools 

overall were below 85 percent at grades 4 and 8, 

so nonresponse bias analyses were conducted. The 

nonresponse bias analyses showed significant differences between responding and nonresponding private 

schools in terms of reporting group, census region, 

and racial/ethnic composition of the schools at both 

grades. Nonresponse weighting adjustments have 

completely accounted for the differences in reporting 

group, and largely accounted for the differences in 

census region. These adjustments are unlikely to have 

fully accounted for differences in race/ethnicity. In 
 Reference List

Braswell, J.S., Dion, G.S., Daane, M.C., and Jin, Y. (2005). The Nation’s Report Card: Mathematics 2003

(NCES 2005-451). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. 

Government Printing Office.

Broughman, S.P., and Pugh, K.W. (2004). Characteristics of Private Schools in the United States: Results From the 

2001–2002 Private School Universe Survey (NCES 2005-305). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: 

National Center for Education Statistics.

Donahue, P.D., Daane, M.C., and Jin, Y. (2005). The Nation’s Report Card: Reading 2003. (NCES 2005-453). 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government 

Printing Office.

17

Student Achievement in Private Schools

Interpreting Statistical Significance

The differences between statistics—such as 

average scale scores and percentages—that are 

discussed in this report are calculated using statistical 

measures known as standard errors. Standard errors 

for the NAEP scores and percentages presented in 

this report are available on the NAEP website 

(http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/). 

Comparisons are based on statistical tests that consider both the size of the differences and the standard 

errors of the two statistics being compared. Estimates 

based on smaller student groups are likely to have 

relatively larger standard errors than estimates based 

on larger student groups, all other things being equal. 

As a consequence, a numerical difference that seems 

large may not be statistically significant. Furthermore, 

differences of the same magnitude may or may not 

be statistically significant, depending upon the size 

of the standard errors of the statistics. For example, a 

5-point difference between male and female students 

may be statistically significant, while a 5-point difference between White and Hispanic students may not 

be. The differences described in this report have been 

determined to be statistically significant at the .05 

level with appropriate adjustments for multiple comparisons. The .05 level of significance means that one 

can say with 95 percent certainty that the difference is 

not due to chance.

 In the tables and charts of this report, the symbols 

(a), (b), (c), (d), and (*) are used to indicate that a 

score or percentage is significantly different from 

another. The symbol (!) is used to indicate that the 

nature of the sample—its size or its variance—does 

not allow accurate determination of the variability of 

the statistics, and that any significance tests involving 

these statistics should be interpreted cautiously. Data 

on the percentage of students reaching Advanced are 

not shown in most tables because the small sample 

sizes limit what can be reported. More information 

on these data can be found using the data tool at 

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/.

APPENDIX

TECHNICAL
18

The Nation’s Report CardTM

Table A-1. School and student participation information and student sample size in reading, by type of school, grades 4 and 8: 2003

Type of school

School participation Student participation

Student 

sample size

Weighted 

percent 

before 

substitution

Weighted 

percent 

after 

substitution

Weighted 

student 

participation 

rate

Weighted 

percent of 

students 

identifi ed as SD1

and/or ELL2

Weighted 

percent of 

students 

assessed with 

accommodation

Weighted 

student 

exclusion 

rate

Grade 4

Public 99.7 99.8 94.2 21.9 5.4 6.3 191,400

Private 78.6 80.1 94.6 3.7 1.7 0.7 7,500

Catholic 90.5 91.1 94.6 3.9 1.9 0.9 3,700

Lutheran 89.2 90.4 96.1 2.4 0.5 0.4 900

Conservative Christian 68.5 69.4 94.4 2.3 0.8 0.1 1,000

Grade 8

Public 99.6 99.6 91.5 18.5 5.3 5.2 155,000

Private 73.9 76.3 93.9 3.2 1.7 0.4 8,300

Catholic 85.1 87.5 94.1 2.7 1.5 0.2 4,000

Lutheran 93.8 93.8 95.1 2.4 0.6 0.3 1,000

Conservative Christian 74.6 75.8 93.2 3.7 1.3 0.6 1,100

1 Students with disabilities.

2 English language learners.

NOTE: Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately. The student sample size is rounded to the nearest hundred.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2003 Reading Assessment.

Table A-2. School and student participation information and student sample size in mathematics, by type of school, grades 4 and 8: 

2003

Type of school

School participation Student participation

Student 

sample size

Weighted 

percent 

before 

substitution

Weighted 

percent 

after 

substitution

Weighted 

student 

participation 

rate

Weighted 

percent of 

students 

identifi ed as SD1

and/or ELL2

Weighted 

percent of 

students 

assessed with 

accommodation

Weighted 

student 

exclusion 

rate

Grade 4

Public 99.7 99.8 94.3 22.3 8.3 3.9 191,400

Private 78.6 80.1 94.6 3.9 2.3 0.2 4,700

Catholic 90.5 91.1 94.2 3.9 2.6 0.1 2,300

Lutheran 89.2 90.4 95.1 2.3 0.5 0.1 600

Conservative Christian 68.5 69.4 96.7 4.1 1.6 0.2 700

Grade 8

Public 99.6 99.6 91.4 18.5 6.8 3.8 153,500

Private 73.9 76.3 94.8 3.3 2.0 0.3 5,100

Catholic 85.1 87.5 95.1 3.2 2.1 # 2,500

Lutheran 93.8 93.8 95.6 2.6 1.1 0.3 600

Conservative Christian 74.6 75.8 94.5 2.4 0.9 0.4 700

# The estimate rounds to zero.

1 Students with disabilities. 

2 English language learners.

NOTE: Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately. The student sample size is rounded to the nearest hundred. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2003 Mathematics Assessment.
19

Student Achievement in Private Schools

Table A-3. School and student participation information and student sample size in science, by type of school, grades 4, 8, and 12: 2000

Type of school

School participation Student participation

Student 

sample size

Weighted 

percent 

before 

substitution

Weighted 

percent 

after 

substitution

Weighted 

student 

participation 

rate

Weighted 

percent of 

students 

identifi ed as SD1

and/or ELL2

Weighted 

percent of 

students 

assessed with 

accommodation

Weighted 

student 

exclusion 

rate

Grade 4

Public 84.7 88.5 95.5 17.8 3.8 4.7 9,900

Private 85.3 88.4 96.4 3.0 1.1 0.3 6,600

Catholic 93.9 97.4 96.5 2.2 0.6 0.3 3,000

Lutheran 94.5 94.5 97.5 3.5 0.9 0.2 1,000

Conservative Christian 82.3 83.5 97.8 3.8 2.3 0.8 800

Grade 8

Public 82.5 85.2 91.5 13.5 2.6 3.6 10,000

Private 80.8 84.3 95.9 2.8 0.7 0.7 6,300

Catholic 91.7 94.7 96.2 1.9 0.7 0.1 2,900

Lutheran 97.6 97.6 96.5 2.5 1.5 # 900

Conservative Christian 72.2 76.2 95.1 2.9 # 0.9 700

Grade 12

Public 77.8 82.1 74.7 9.1 1.8 2.1 9,000

Private 72.9 79.9 88.7 4.0 1.5 0.4 6,600

Catholic 85.1 92.7 87.6 2.9 1.1 0.1 2,900

Lutheran 87.0 87.0 92.7 2.0 0.2 0.1 1,000

Conservative Christian 67.5 69.7 92.6 2.3 0.5 1.0 900

# The estimate rounds to zero.

1 Students with disabilities.

2 English language learners.

NOTE: Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately. The student sample size is rounded to the nearest hundred.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2000 Science Assessment.

Table A-4. School and student participation information and student sample size in writing, by type of school, grades 4 and 8: 2002 

Type of school

School participation Student participation

Student 

sample size

Weighted 

percent 

before 

substitution

Weighted 

percent 

after 

substitution

Weighted 

student 

participation 

rate

Weighted 

percent of 

students 

identifi ed as SD1

and/or ELL2

Weighted 

percent of 

students 

assessed with 

accommodation

Weighted 

student 

exclusion 

rate

Grade 4

Public 84.5 85.0 94.4 20.4 5.5 5.4 140,300

Private 74.3 80.9 95.1 3.3 1.6 0.3 5,400

Catholic 84.4 89.5 95.0 3.0 1.5 0.2 2,800

Lutheran 82.5 89.4 95.2 3.1 1.7 0.6 600

Conservative Christian 73.5 77.3 95.4 2.1 0.9 0.3 600

Grade 8

Public 83.4 83.7 91.3 18.0 5.4 4.2 117,500

Private 67.8 76.1 95.2 3.8 1.9 0.3 5,500

Catholic 79.4 87.9 95.3 3.0 1.5 0.4 2,900

Lutheran 74.0 89.1 95.1 1.8 0.3 0.2 700

Conservative Christian 64.4 72.1 94.6 0.7 0.7 # 800

# The estimate rounds to zero.

1 Students with disabilities.

2 English language learners.

NOTE: Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately. The student sample size is rounded to the nearest hundred.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2002 Writing Assessment.

APPENDIX

TECHNICAL
 Reading Data

Table B-1. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in reading, by type of school, grade 4: Various years, 2000–2003

Average 

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Percent at

Advanced

Type of school 2000 2002 2003 2000 2002 2003 2000 2002 2003 2000 2002 2003

Public 211 217 216 57 62 62 28 30 30667

Private 231 d 234 d 235 d 78 d 80 d 80 d 45 d 48 d 48 d 12 d 13 d 14 d

Catholic 229 d 234 d 235 d 75 d 80 d 81 d 41 d 47 d 48 d 10 13 d 14 d

Lutheran ‡ 236 d 232 d ‡ 83 d 79 d ‡ 50 d 44 d ‡ 12 d 12 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 229 d ‡ ‡ 77 d ‡ ‡ 41 d ‡ ‡ 10 ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and data for Other Private schools for 2002 and 2003 are 

included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

various years, 2000–2003 Reading Assessments.

Table B-2. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in reading, by type of school, grade 8: 2002 and 2003

Average 

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Percent at

Advanced

Type of school 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

Public 263 261 74 72 31 30 2 3

Private 281 d 282 d 90 d 90 d 51 d 53 d 7 d 8 d

Catholic 281 d 281 c,d 90 d 90 d 51 d 51 d 6 d 7 d

Lutheran 281 d 281 c,d 91 d 90 d 50 d 52 d 6 d 8 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 276 a,b,d ‡ 86 d ‡ 46 d ‡ 6 d

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools. 

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools. 

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2002 and 2003 Reading Assessments.

20

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Table B-3. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in reading, by gender and type of school, 

grade 4: Various years, 2000–2003

Percent of students

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Gender and type of school 2000 2002 2003 2000 2002 2003 2000 2002 2003 2000 2002 2003

Male

Public 50 51 51 206 214 213 53 59 58 24 26 26

Private 50 50 51 225 d 231 d 232 d 72 d 78 d 78 d 37 d 44 d 44 d

Catholic 49 49 50 224 d 231 d 232 d 71 d 78 d 79 d 36 d 44 d 45 d

Lutheran ‡ 51 51 ‡ 234 d 229 d ‡ 83 d 75 d ‡ 47 d 40 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 53 ‡ ‡ 226 d ‡ ‡ 73 d ‡ ‡ 39 d ‡

Female

Public 50 49 49 217 220 220 62 65 65 32 33 33

Private 50 50 49 238 d 237 d 237 d 83 d 83 d 83 d 53 d 51 d 52 d

Catholic 51 51 50 233 d 236 d 237 d 79 d 82 d 82 d 46 d 50 d 51 d

Lutheran ‡ 49 49 ‡ 238 d 234 d ‡ 84 d 82 d ‡ 53 d 48 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 47 ‡ ‡ 233 d ‡ ‡ 82 d ‡ ‡ 45 d ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and 

data for Other Private schools for 2002 and 2003 are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

various years, 2000–2003 Reading Assessments.

Table B-4. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in reading, by gender and type of school, grade 

8: 2002 and 2003

Percent of students

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Gender and type of school 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

Male

Public 50 50 258 256 70 67 26 25

Private 49 50 276 d 278 d 87 d 87 d 45 d 47 d

Catholic 47 49 276 d 277 d 87 d 87 d 45 d 46 d

Lutheran 49 49 278 d 275 d 90 d 86 d 47 d 44 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 49 ‡ 271 d ‡ 83 d ‡ 38 d

Female

Public 50 50 267 267 79 77 36 35

Private 51 50 285 d 287 d 93 d 93 d 57 d 60 d

Catholic 53 51 285 d 285 d 93 d 93 d 56 d 57 d

Lutheran 51 51 284 d 288 d 93 d 93 d 54 d 61 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 51 ‡ 282 d ‡ 89 d ‡ 54 d

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private 

data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2002 and 2003 Reading Assessments. 21

READING DATA

Student Achievement in Private Schools
Table B-5. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in reading, by race/ethnicity and type of school, 

grade 4: Various years, 2000–2003

Percent of students

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Race/ethnicity and type of 

school 2000 2002 2003 2000 2002 2003 2000 2002 2003 2000 2002 2003

White

Public 62 60 59 223 227 227 69 74 74 36 39 39

Private 74 d 73 d 75 d 236 d 239 d 239 d 83 d 86 d 85 d 51 d 54 d 53 d

Catholic 67 72 b,d 75 d 236 d 239 d 240 d 84 d 86 d 86 d 50 d 53 d 54 d

Lutheran ‡ 84 a,c,d 80 d ‡ 238 d 236 d ‡ 86 d 84 d ‡ 52 d 48 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 71 b ‡ ‡ 234 ‡ ‡ 82 ‡ ‡ 48 ‡

Black

Public 18 18 17 189 198 197 34 39 39 9 12 12

Private 11 11 d 9 d 213 ! d 212 d 210 d 54 ! d 55 d 54 d 22 ! d 21 d 22 d

Catholic 13 9 d 6 d 209 ! d 212 d 211 d 50 ! d 55 d 54 d 18 ! 23 d 21

Lutheran ‡ 6 d 12 ‡ ‡ 206 ! ‡ ‡ 48 ! ‡ ‡ 20 !

Conservative Christian ‡ 14 ‡ ‡ 216 ! d ‡ ‡ 63 ! d ‡ ‡ 22 ! ‡

Hispanic

Public 15 17 18 188 199 199 36 43 43 12 14 14

Private 8 d 10 d 9 d 215 d 223 d 220 d 63 d 69 d 66 d 26 d 34 d 29 d

Catholic 11 13 b 12 b,d 211 ! d 222 d 219 d 58 ! d 67 d 64 d 23 ! 33 d 27 d

Lutheran ‡ 5 a,d 4 a,d ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 8 d ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡

Asian/Pacifi c Islander

Public 4 4 4 223 223 225 69 69 69 39 36 37

Private 4 4 5 236 ! 231 d 236 d 84 ! 76 82 d 49 ! 42 49 d

Catholic 5 4 b 5 ‡ 229 231 ‡ 75 77 ‡ 38 44

Lutheran ‡ 1 a,d 2 ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 4 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡

American Indian/Alaska Native

Public 1 1 1 ‡ 207 202 ‡ 51 47 ‡ 22 16

Private 2 # d # d ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡

Catholic 3 # d # d ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡

Lutheran ‡ 2 # ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 1 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡

# The estimate rounds to zero. 

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Because of insuffi cient sample size, results are not shown for students 

whose race/ethnicity based on school records was “other.” Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and data for Other Private schools for 2002 and 2003 

are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various 

years, 2000–2003 Reading Assessments.

22

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Table B-6. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in reading, by race/ethnicity and type of 

school, grade 8: 2002 and 2003

Percent of students 

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above 

Profi cient

Race/ethnicity and type of school 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

White

Public 64 61 271 270 83 82 39 39

Private 75 d 76 d 285 d 286 d 93 d 93 d 57 d 59 d

Catholic 72 b,d 72 b,d 285 d 286 c,d 94 d 94 d 56 d 58 d

Lutheran 88 a,d 83 a,d 283 d 284 d 92 d 92 d 53 d 56 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 77 d ‡ 280 a,d ‡ 89 d ‡ 49 d

Black

Public 15 17 244 244 54 53 13 12

Private 9 d 9 d 263 d 261 d 77 d 72 d 28 d 27 d

Catholic 10 d 9 d 261 d 260 d 74 d 71 d 25 d 25 d

Lutheran 6 d 8 d ‡ 260 ! d ‡ 69 ! d ‡ 24 !

Conservative Christian ‡ 11 ‡ 261 ! ‡ 72 ! ‡ 29 !

Hispanic

Public 15 15 245 244 56 54 14 14

Private 10 d 9 d 266 d 269 d 78 d 82 d 32 d 35 d

Catholic 12 b 13 b 271 d 270 d 83 d 83 d 38 d 34 d

Lutheran 4 a,d 5 a,d ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 7 d ‡ 267 ! d ‡ 76 ! ‡ 34 !

Asian/Pacifi c Islander

Public 4 4 265 268 75 78 34 38

Private 4 5 285 d 286 d 91 d 93 d 55 d 58 d

Catholic 4 b 4 282 d 280 d 92 d 92 d 50 d 50

Lutheran 1 a,d 2 d ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 3 ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

American Indian/Alaska Native

Public 1 1 252 248 64 59 18 18

Private # d # d ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Catholic # d # d ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Lutheran # 1 ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ # d ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

# The estimate rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Because of insuffi cient sample size, results are not shown for 

students whose race/ethnicity based on school records was “other.” Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2002 and 2003 Reading Assessments.

23

READING DATA

Student Achievement in Private Schools
Table B-7. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in reading, by student-reported parents’ highest 

level of education and type of school, grade 8: 2002 and 2003

Percent of students

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Education level and type of school 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003

Less than high school

Public 7 7 247 245 58 55 14 13

Private 2 d 1 d 264 ! d 263 d 74 ! 74 d 32 ! 34 d

Catholic 1 d 1 d ‡ ‡‡‡‡‡

Lutheran 1 d 1 d ‡ ‡‡‡‡‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 2 d ‡ ‡‡‡‡‡

Graduated from high school

Public 18 18 256 253 69 65 21 19

Private 10 d 9 d 270 d 268 d 84 d 81 d 34 d 34 d

Catholic 12 d 9 d 272 d 269 d 86 d 82 d 35 d 34 d

Lutheran 12 d 11 d 271 d 271 d 86 d 84 d 31 37

Conservative Christian ‡ 11 d ‡ 263 d ‡ 77 ‡ 26

Some education after high school

Public 20 18 267 266 81 79 33 32

Private 15 d 13 d 279 d 277 d 91 d 88 d 47 d 46 d

Catholic 16 d 15 d 278 d 277 d 91 d 88 d 46 d 45 d

Lutheran 17 15 284 d 276 d 93 d 89 d 53 d 47

Conservative Christian ‡ 16 ‡ 275 d ‡ 86 ‡ 43

Graduated from college

Public 46 46 273 271 83 81 42 41

Private 69 d 72 d 285 d 287 d 93 d 93 d 58 d 60 d

Catholic 66 d 70 d 285 d 285 d 93 d 93 d 57 d 57 d

Lutheran 66 d 68 d 284 d 286 d 94 d 92 d 55 d 59 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 65 d ‡ 282 d ‡ 90 d ‡ 52 d

Unknown

Public 9 11 246 242 56 52 14 13

Private 5 d 5 d 265 d 264 d 76 d 77 d 33 d 29 d

Catholic 4 d 5 d 266 d 265 d 79 d 78 d 34 d 31 d

Lutheran 4 d 6 d ‡ ‡‡‡‡‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 7 d ‡ 258 d ‡ 71 ‡ 22

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for Other Private schools are included in the overall Private data 

but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2002 

and 2003 Reading Assessments.

24

The Nation’s Report CardTM
 Mathematics Data

Table B-8. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in mathematics, by type of school, grade 4: 2000 and 2003

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Percent at

Advanced

Type of school 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003

Public 224 234 64 76 22 31 2 4

Private 238 d 244 d 82 d 88 d 35 d 44 d 4 d 6 d

Catholic 237 b,d 244 d 81 d 88 d 33 d 43 d 3 5

Lutheran 241 a,c,d 245 d 88 c,d 90 d 38 d 46 d 3 5

Conservative Christian 234 b,d ‡ 78 b,d ‡ 31 d ‡ 3 ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and data for Other Private schools for 2003 are 

included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2000 and 2003 Mathematics Assessments.

Table B-9. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in mathematics, by type of school, grade 8: 2000 and 2003

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Percent at

Advanced

Type of school 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003

Public 272 276 62 67 25 27 5 5

Private 286 d 292 d 79 d 82 d 36 d 43 d 6 d 10 d

Catholic 284 b,d 289 b,d 77 b,d 81 d 32 b,d 39 b,d 5 b 8 d

Lutheran 292 a,d 296 a,c,d 84 a,d 86 d 43 a,d 48 a,c,d 8 a,d 11 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 286 b,d ‡ 78 d ‡ 37 b,d ‡ 7

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and data for Other Private schools for 2003 are 

included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2000 and 2003 Mathematics Assessments.

25

Student Achievement in Private Schools

MATHEMATICS 

DATA
Table B-10. Average scale scores and achievement-level results in mathematics, by type of school, 

grade 12: 2000

Type of school

Average 

scale score

Percent at or 

above Basic

Percent at or 

above Profi cient

Percent at

Advanced

Public 299 62 16 2

Private 315 d 81 d 26 d 3

Catholic 314 d 80 d 25 c,d 3

Lutheran 312 d 78 d 23 d 3

Conservative Christian 310 d 79 d 17 a 2

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools are included in the 

overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 Mathematics Assessment.

Table B-11. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in mathematics, by gender and type of school, 

grade 4: 2000 and 2003

Percent of students

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Gender and type of school 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003

Male

Public 51 51 225 235 65 77 25 34

Private 50 52 239 d 247 d 82 d 89 d 38 d 48 d

Catholic 49 52 239 d 246 d 83 d 89 d 37 d 47 d

Lutheran 53 45 243 d 249 d 88 d 92 d 42 d 52 d

Conservative Christian 52 ‡ 236 d ‡ 80 d ‡ 35 d ‡

Female

Public 49 49 223 233 62 75 20 29

Private 50 48 236 d 242 d 81 d 86 d 32 d 41 d

Catholic 51 48 235 d 241 d 79 d 86 d 30 d 40 d

Lutheran 47 55 239 d 242 d 87 d 88 d 33 d 41 d

Conservative Christian 48 ‡ 232 d ‡ 76 d ‡ 28 ‡

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. 

d Signifi cantly different from public schools. 

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 

and data for Other Private schools for 2003 are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2000 and 2003 Mathematics Assessments.

26

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Table B-12. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in mathematics, by gender and type of school, 

grade 8: 2000 and 2003

Percent of students

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above 

Profi cient

Gender and type of school 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003

Male

Public 50 50 273 277 62 67 26 29

Private 50 48 d 288 d 293 d 80 d 83 d 38 d 45 d

Catholic 48 b 47 d 285 b,d 292 b,d 78 b,d 83 d 33 b,d 42 d

Lutheran 53 a 48 295 a,d 298 a,c,d 86 a,d 88 d 46 a,d 50 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 50 ‡ 289 b,d ‡ 79 d ‡ 40 d

 Female

Public 50 50 271 275 62 66 23 26

Private 50 52 d 285 d 290 d 78 d 81 d 34 d 40 d

Catholic 52 b 53 d 282 d 288 b,d 75 d 80 d 31 b,d 37 d

Lutheran 47 a 52 288 d 294 a,c,d 82 d 85 d 38 a,d 45 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 50 ‡ 284 b,d ‡ 76 ‡ 34 d

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 

and data for Other Private schools for 2003 are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2000 and 2003 Mathematics Assessments.

27

Student Achievement in Private Schools

MATHEMATICS 

DATA
Table B-13. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in 

mathematics, by gender and type of school, grade 12: 2000

Gender and type of school

Percent of

students 

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or 

above Basic

Percent at or 

above Profi cient

Male

Public 50 301 64 18

Private 51 316 d 80 d 28 d

Catholic 53 315 d 80 d 28 d

Lutheran 52 315 d 79 d 28

Conservative Christian 53 313 d 80 d 21

Female

Public 50 297 61 13

Private 49 314 d 81 d 24 d

Catholic 47 313 d 80 d 22 c,d

Lutheran 48 310 d 78 d 18

Conservative Christian 47 307 d 77 d 13 a

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for 

Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 Mathematics Assessment.

28

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Table B-14. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in mathematics, by race/ethnicity and type of 

school, grade 4: 2000 and 2003

Percent of students

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above 

Profi cient

Race/ethnicity and type of school 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003

White

Public 62 58 233 243 76 87 30 42

Private 81 d 76 d 241 d 248 d 87 d 92 d 39 d 50 d

Catholic 81 d 75 d 241 d 248 d 87 d 93 d 38 d 50 d

Lutheran 87 d 83 d 242 d 248 d 89 d 93 d 38 d 50

Conservative Christian 78 d ‡ 238 ‡ 83 ‡ 35 ‡

Black

Public 17 17 203 216 35 54 4 10

Private 8 d 9 d 213 d 221 d 49 d 62 d 9 13

Catholic 7 d 7 d 210 ! 222 45 ! 64 7 ! 13

Lutheran 6 d 12 ‡ 227 ! d ‡ 72 ! ‡ 16 !

Conservative Christian 11 ‡ 211 ! ‡ 51 ! ‡ 5 ! ‡

Hispanic

Public 16 19 207 221 41 62 7 15

Private 7 d 9 d 220 d 231 d 58 d 76 d 15 d 24 d

Catholic 9 b,d 12 b,d 217 d 229 d 54 72 d 14 22

Lutheran 3 a,d 3 a,d ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Conservative Christian 4 d ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Asian/Pacifi c Islander

Public ‡ 4 ‡ 246 ‡ 87 ‡ 48

Private ‡ 4 ‡ 249 ‡ 93 ‡ 49

Catholic ‡ 3 b ‡ 242 ‡ 89 ‡ 36

Lutheran ‡ 1 a,d ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

American Indian/Alaska Native

Public 1 1 207 ! 224 39 ! 65 8 ! 18

Private # d # d ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Catholic # d # d ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Lutheran # # ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Conservative Christian 1 ‡ ‡‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

# The estimate rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Because of insuffi cient sample size, results are not shown for 

students whose race/ethnicity based on school records was “other.” Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and data for Other Private schools for 2003 

are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2000 and 2003 Mathematics Assessments.

29

Student Achievement in Private Schools

MATHEMATICS 

DATA
Table B-15. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in mathematics, by race/ethnicity and type of 

school, grade 8: 2000 and 2003

Percent of students

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Race/ethnicity and type of school 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003

White

Public 63 62 283 287 75 79 33 36

Private 77 d 75 d 291 d 297 d 84 d 88 d 41 d 48 d

Catholic 75 b,d 72 b,d 289 b,d 296 d 83 d 88 d 37 b 46 d

Lutheran 86 a,d 81 a,d 295 a,d 300 c,d 88 d 91 d 46 a,d 53 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 78 d ‡ 293 b,d ‡ 86 d ‡ 43

Black

Public 17 17 243 252 30 39 5 7

Private 10 d 10 d 258 d 260 d 45 d 47 d 10 d 11 d

Catholic 10 d 10 d 254 ! d 260 d 40 ! d 46 7 ! 8

Lutheran 7 d 8 d 264 ! d ‡ 56 ! d ‡ 13 ! ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 13 ‡ 254 ! ‡ 41 ! ‡ 11 !

Hispanic

Public 14 15 252 258 40 47 8 11

Private 7 d 8 d 273 d 274 d 66 d 65 d 18 d 21 d

Catholic 10 b,d 12 b,c 271 d 272 d 64 d 63 d 17 d 19

Lutheran 4 a,d 5 a,d ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 4 a,d ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡

Asian/Pacifi c Islander

Public 4 4 287 289 73 77 40 42

Private 3 5 300 d 303 d 90 d 90 d 53 d 56 d

Catholic 3 b 5 296 298 d 88 d 89 d 47 51

Lutheran 2 a,d 3 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 3 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡

American Indian/Alaska Native

Public 1 1 263 ! 265 53 ! 54 13 ! 16

Private 1 # d ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡

Catholic 1 # d ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡

Lutheran 1 1 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 1 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡‡ ‡

# The estimate rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Because of insuffi cient sample size, results are not shown for 

students whose race/ethnicity based on school records was “other.” Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 and data for Other Private schools for 2003 

are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

2000 and 2003 Mathematics Assessments.

30

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Table B-16. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in 

mathematics, by race/ethnicity and type of school, grade 12: 2000

Race/ethnicity and type of school

Percent of

students

assessed

Average 

scale score

Percent at or 

above Basic

Percent at or 

above Profi cient

White

Public 71 306 71 19

Private 83 d 317 d 83 d 28 d

Catholic 82 d 317 d 84 d 27 c,d

Lutheran 83 d 316 d 84 d 27

Conservative Christian 89 d 312 d 81 d 18 a

Black

Public 14 272 30 2

Private 6 d 292 d 56 d 8 d

Catholic 6 d 290 d 54 d 5

Lutheran 11 288 d 46 d 6

Conservative Christian 5 d ‡‡ ‡

Hispanic

Public 9 281 42 4

Private 6 d 300 d 65 d 12 d

Catholic 8 299 d 65 d 11

Lutheran 3 d ‡‡ ‡

Conservative Christian 4 ‡‡ ‡

Asian/Pacifi c Islander

Public 4 314 74 31

Private 3 d 328 d 93 d 42

Catholic 3 326 ! 91 ! d 38 !

Lutheran 2 d ‡‡ ‡

Conservative Christian 1 d ‡‡ ‡

American Indian/Alaska Native

Public 1 293 ! 54 ! 7 !

Private # ‡‡ ‡

Catholic # ‡‡ ‡

Lutheran # ‡‡ ‡

Conservative Christian # ‡‡ ‡

# The estimate rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines 

for reporting were not met. 

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Because of 

insuffi cient sample size, results are not shown for students whose race/ethnicity based on school records was “other.” Data for 

Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 Mathematics Assessment.

31

MATHEMATICS 

DATA

Student Achievement in Private Schools
Table B-17. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in mathematics, by student-reported parents’

highest level of education and type of school, grade 8: 2000 and 2003

Percent of students

assessed

Average

scale score

Percent at or above

Basic

Percent at or above

Profi cient

Education level and type of school 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003 2000 2003

Less than high school

Public 8 7 253 256 43 44 7 9

Private 2 d 1 d 264 d 270 d 51 64 d 11 15

Catholic 2 d 1 d ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡‡

Lutheran 2 d 1 d ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 2 d ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡‡

Graduated from high school

Public 21 18 260 267 51 58 15 16

Private 13 d 9 d 273 d 277 d 66 d 71 d 18 23 d

Catholic 15 d 10 d 271 d 276 d 63 d 71 d 16 21

Lutheran 11 d 11 d 276 288 d 71 d 82 d 25 37

Conservative Christian ‡ 11 d ‡ 279 d ‡ 70 ‡ 27

Some education after high school

Public 18 18 277 280 70 73 26 28

Private 13 d 13 d 281 d 285 d 77 79 d 26 33 d

Catholic 14 d 15 d 279 b 286 d 75 80 d 25 33

Lutheran 17 17 290 ! a,d 290 d 88 ! d 83 35 ! 41

Conservative Christian ‡ 12 d ‡ 280 ‡ 74 ‡ 31

Graduated from college

Public 41 45 285 287 75 77 38 39

Private 67 d 71 d 292 d 297 d 83 d 87 d 43 d 49 d

Catholic 63 d 69 d 289 b 294 b,d 82 d 85 d 38 b 45

Lutheran 64 d 67 d 296 a,d 301 a,c,d 86 d 89 d 49 a 54 d

Conservative Christian ‡ 69 d ‡ 291 b ‡ 83 ‡ 42

Unknown

Public 12 11 253 258 41 47 9 12

Private 5 d 5 d 272 d 269 d 65 d 57 d 20 d 20 d

Catholic 6 d 5 d 276 d 270 d 68 d 60 24 d 19

Lutheran 7 d 4 d ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡‡

Conservative Christian ‡ 6 d ‡‡ ‡ ‡‡‡

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation guidelines for reporting were not met. a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools.

b Signifi cantly different from Lutheran schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools for 2000 

and data for Other Private schools for 2003 are included in the overall Private data for those years but not reported separately. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 

and 2003 Mathematics Assessments.

32

The Nation’s Report CardTM
Table B-18. Percentage of students, average scale scores, and achievement-level results in 

mathematics, by student-reported parents’ highest level of education and type of 

school, grade 12: 2000

Education level and type of school

Percent of

students

assessed

Average 

scale score

Percent at or 

above Basic

Percent at or 

above Profi cient

Less than high school

Public 7 278 38 3

Private 2 d 281 41 3

Catholic 2 d ‡‡ ‡

Lutheran 1 d ‡‡ ‡

Conservative Christian 1 d ‡‡ ‡

Graduated from high school

Public 21 286 49 6

Private 11 d 298 d 63 d 11 d

Catholic 12 d 300 d 66 d 11

Lutheran 9 d 304 d 74 d 13

Conservative Christian 11 d 294 ! 57 ! 10 !

Some education after high school

Public 25 298 63 12

Private 18 d 309 d 76 d 17 d

Catholic 19 c,d 308 d 75 d 17

Lutheran 23 309 d 77 d 18

Conservative Christian 26 a 309 d 77 d 14

Graduated from college

Public 44 311 75 25

Private 67 d 321 d 87 d 32 d

Catholic 66 d 320 d 86 d 31

Lutheran 64 d 316 81 28

Conservative Christian 59 d 315 84 21

Unknown

Public 3 273 32 5

Private 2 d 295 d 59 d 11

Catholic 2 d ‡‡ ‡

Lutheran 2 ‡‡ ‡

Conservative Christian 2 ‡‡ ‡

! Interpret data with caution. The nature of the sample does not allow accurate determination of the variability of the statistic.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size is insuffi cient to permit a reliable estimate, or the minimum participation 

guidelines for reporting were not met.

a Signifi cantly different from Catholic schools. c Signifi cantly different from Conservative Christian schools.

d Signifi cantly different from public schools.

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 500. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data for 

Nonsectarian and Other Religious schools are included in the overall Private data but not reported separately.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000 Mathematics Assessment.

33

MATHEMATICS 

DATA

Student Achievement in Private Schools
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 SUGGESTED CITATION 

Perie, M., Vanneman, A., and Goldstein, A. 

(2005). Student Achievement in Private Schools: 

Results From NAEP 2000–2005 (NCES 2006-459). 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center 

for Education Statistics. Washington, D.C.: U.S. 

Government Printing Office.

CONTENT CONTACT 

Arnold Goldstein 

202-502-7344 

Arnold.Goldstein@ed.gov