It is easy to assume that private schools provide a better education because so many of their graduates go on to elite colleges and successful careers. But according to the CEP, this may be more because of demographics than academic quality. When students’ family backgrounds and income levels are taken into consideration, there is no effective difference in the quality of a public or private education.
When the report’s authors compared students of similar socioeconomic status at private, public and parochial high schools, they found out that:
- Achievement scores on reading, math, science and history were the same;
- Students were equally likely to attend college whether they had graduated from a public or private school;
- Young adults at age 26 were equally likely to report being satisfied with their jobs whether they had graduated from a public or private school;
- Young adults at age 26 were equally likely to engage in civic activity whether they had graduated from a public or private school.