At all three grades a significantly higher percentage of private school students scored at or above the Basic, Proficient, and Advanced levels than public school students. The proficient level is identified as the standard that all students should reach. To see the complete NAEP 1998 Writing Report Card, visit the NCES Web site . When Education Secretary Richard Riley last month presented his vision for the American high school in the 21st century, he was actually describing many attributes of today's private high schools. In central cities, for example, the average size of a private high school is 398, compared to 1,083 for a public school.
Academic rigor is also an area where private schools excel.
In addition, various researchers have suggested that one reason for the academic success of private schools is that they set the same high academic goals for all students, essentially requiring a college prep program for everyone. The practice appears to be paying off. And reports from the College Board indicate private schools account for 17 percent of all SAT test takers, even though they enroll only 7.5 percent of the country's high school students. Further, SAT scores for private school students are well above the national average for every racial, ethnic, and income group. Here, too, private schools do relatively well.