Catholic schools surpass public schools in Nation’s Report Card
Caroline MolloyCatholic schools outranked public schools in recently released mathematics and reading test scores for 2024.
The Nation’s Report Card by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released national scores for fourth- and eighth-grade mathematics and reading. Catholic school students in both grades surpassed public school students in both categories.
In fourth-grade math, Catholic schools had a score of 247, while public schools were ranked 237, according to the NAEP’s scoring system. In fourth-grade reading, Catholic schools outpaced public schools by 16 points. In eighth grade, Catholic schools outpaced public schools by 21 points in math and 20 points in reading.
The data is based on mandated standardized testing given between January and March 2024.
Notably, public school scores have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, while public school reading scores continue to decline.
Catholic schools have consistently outpaced public schools in recent decades, with higher-ranking scores going back to the 1990s.
The National Catholic Educational Association highlighted Catholic schools’ scores in a recent press release, noting that “NAEP assessments are considered the gold standard of testing.”
NCEA President and CEO Steven Cheeseman emphasized that the primary goal of Catholic education is to “form saints.”
