Student Achievement in Public Magnet, Public Comprehensive, and Private City High Schools

Abstract

Problems with our public urban high schools are widely discussed, and many see magnet schools and private schools as the answer. But are those schools really better at increasing the academic skills of students? Using the National Educational Longitudinal Survey, I estimated the effect of attending a magnet school, Catholic school, or secular private school on the achievement of urban students in math, reading, science, and social studies. I then compared these estimates to the achievement of students who attend comprehensive public high schools. I found that magnet schools are more effective than regular schools at raising the proficiency of students in science, reading, and social studies; Catholic schools have a positive impact on math skills, while secular private schools do not offer any advantage, net of preexisting differences among students. Further analyses tested the sensitivity of the results to assumptions about independence and selectivity; these showed support for the magnet school advantages in reading and social studies, but raised doubts about the Catholic school effects in math and the magnet school effects in science.