Low Private School Participation Threatens NAEP's Representativeness

As more students use vouchers to attend private schools, the 'nation's report card' risks becoming less representative of American students.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 10:52am

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The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the nation's report card, is struggling with low participation from private school students. Unlike public schools, private schools are not required to participate in NAEP, and not enough private school students take the test to report distinct results for that group, even at the national level. This is a growing concern as more students attend private schools or are homeschooled with public money, making NAEP less representative of the full range of American student achievement.

Why it matters

NAEP is considered the gold standard in student assessment, allowing for reliable comparisons over time and between states. As more students leave public schools, the test risks becoming less representative, threatening its ability to provide an accurate picture of student learning across the country. This could lead to more states questioning the validity of their NAEP scores and make state-to-state comparisons more difficult.

The details

Private schools make up about a quarter of American schools and educate around 9% of K-12 students, but they account for only about 1.3% of students who took the main NAEP tests in 2024. This low participation means NAEP doesn't have enough data from private school students to report on their performance separately. State results only reflect public school students in those states, complicating comparisons. NAEP officials and researchers say increasing private school participation is crucial to maintaining the test's representativeness as school choice programs grow.

  • The 2026 NAEP test administration is currently underway and expected to wrap up later this month.
  • NAEP results for math and reading are expected to be released in early 2027.

The players

Martin West

A Harvard University education professor and vice chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, who said the lack of private school participation is 'the most significant challenge facing the NAEP program in the medium term.'

Manny Diaz Jr.

The former Florida Education Commissioner, who wrote a letter blaming the decline in Florida's 2024 NAEP scores in part on excluding private school students.

Thomas Kane

A Harvard economist who frequently works with NAEP data, who said 'what happened in Florida in 2024 is a harbinger of the future as private school enrollment grows.'

Ron Reynolds

A representative of non-public schools on NAEP's governing board, who believes private schools are 'shirking their responsibility' by not participating.

Rob Enlow

The president and CEO of EdChoice, an advocacy group, who sees less value in private schools participating in NAEP and suggests incentives like automatic accreditation would be more appropriate than mandates.

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What they’re saying

“I see it as the most significant challenge facing the NAEP program in the medium term, because it threatens our ability to speak with confidence about states' success in supporting student learning.”

— Martin West, Harvard University education professor and vice chair of the National Assessment Governing Board

“This issue only stands to grow, as Florida has chosen a path that puts students and families before teachers unions and provides universal school choice.”

— Manny Diaz Jr., Former Florida Education Commissioner

“If NAEP is the nation's report card, then questions about private school achievement will become the dog that ate the homework. It will be a source of evasions and spin.”

— Thomas Kane, Harvard economist

“I'm not sure why people wouldn't do it. The reality for us as Catholic schools is that we've always felt like it's an important accountability measure.”

— Steven Cheeseman, President and CEO of the National Catholic Education Association

“Nonetheless, knowing whether kids can read and do math is an important piece of the picture when we are trying to get our arms around what, and how well, our kids are learning.”

— Michael Schuttloffel, Executive director of the Council for American Private Education

What’s next

The 2026 NAEP test administration is currently underway and expected to wrap up later this month, with results for math and reading expected to be released in early 2027.

The takeaway

As more students leave public schools to attend private schools or be homeschooled with public money, the lack of private school participation in NAEP threatens the test's ability to provide a comprehensive and representative picture of student achievement across the country. Increasing private school participation is crucial to maintaining NAEP's status as the 'nation's report card' and ensuring reliable comparisons between states as school choice programs continue to grow.