et the costs of choosing a private school for their child or children. Despite such reforms and arguments in favor of private schools, there is increasing public support for public school education and evidence that suggests private schools are unfairly compared to private schools in terms of overall student performance, cost-efficiencies, and educational outcomes. When looking at available evidence, it is readily apparent that private schools are not only comparable to public schools in these areas but they also continue to undermine public education and put low-income and minority students at risk. Because of this, public schools should continue to receive full support of parents, educators, and policymakers.
Many advocates of private schools, whether charter or voucher schools, point to student performance and outcomes to prove private schools are superior to public ones. However, when looking at the literature, there are quite comparable outcomes for each type of education. A new and rigorous standardized test in New York was administered to all students in private and public schools in the fourth-grade. The results show a comparable rate of performance in both public and private schools, ôJust 55 percent of the students tested in New YorkÆs private schools were able to meet proficiency standardsàthe passing rate in public s
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