Attending Private Schools Research Articles

Do private schools increase academic achievement? Evidence from France

ABSTRACT This article investigates the effect of private lower secondary schools on student achievement in France. I use propensity score matching on a large French database to estimate the effect of enrollment in a private school on academic achievement as measured by ninth-grade test scores in three school subjects. I find that private school attendance has a large and significant effect on educational success. Boys' (girls') scores in private school were between 0.193 (0.138) and 0.222 (0.198) standard deviations higher on standardized tests in ninth grade. A series of checks confirm the robustness of these results.

The PISA performance gap between national and expatriate students in the United Arab Emirates

In most education systems, students with an immigrant background perform worse academically than do native students. However, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) differences emerge in the opposite direction and the national-expatriate gap in academic performance is equivalent to almost three years of schooling. This gap is a concern in the UAE, where national students mainly attend public schools while expatriates mostly attend private schools. In this study, to investigate the performance gap between national and expatriate students we estimate group differences and conduct linear regression analysis using data from the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment. Results show that the gap varies by emirate and country of origin, and is greater among boys, better-off students and those attending private schools. Between 33% and 47% of this gap is explained by school type, whether public or private. We offer recommendations for the UAE that may also be useful for other high expatriate recruiting nations in development; however, in a country characterized by 85% expatriates and a maturing education policy, challenges remain.

Decreasing trends in adolescent life satisfaction: the role of developmental and demographic factors

The aim of the present study was to investigate demographic and developmental factors that contribute to the prediction of life satisfaction in Greek adolescents. Life satisfaction is an important aspect of the subjective well-being and functionality of adolescents. The sample included 433 students (171 males) aged 11 to 16 years from medium and upper socioeconomic status, attending private schools in Greece. The research was conducted at the school environment after permission from the Schools’ Supervisor of Counseling Services and the Schools’ Principals. The Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale was administered to students in order to assess the subjective well-being of adolescents along with a questionnaire for demographic information. Results showed a statistical significant decrease in adolescents’ life satisfaction from family, friends, school, living environment and self as students move from the developmental stage of early to middle adolescence. A regression analysis revealed that each domain of life satisfaction was predicted by specific demographic and developmental factors. Results also indicated that gender was associated with several dimensions of life satisfaction. Girls in particular reported greater life satisfaction in total and were more satisfied with friends and school compared to boys. Decreased life satisfaction in adolescence may be a developmental phenomenon which should be studied further through longitudinal studies.

Onset of Menarche among Adolescent Girls in Gas and Non- Gas Flaring Environment in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

This research study investigated the onset of menarche among adolescent school girls living in non-gas and gas flaring environment in Bayelsa state. The participant in this study were eight hundred and twenty six (826) in number. The result obtained from the study shows that one hundred and fifty six (156) within the ages of 10-14years making (18.9%) are yet to attained menarche from gas flaring environment while (81.1%) have attained menarche in both environment. The overall age at menarche compared with body mass index was (12.6yrs) and (17.3kg/m²) from both group. Furthermore the age at menarche among adolescent residents in non-gas flaring environment was (11.8yrs) compared with those in gas flaring environment (12.9yrs). However the mean age at menarche among adolescent girls attending private schools was (12.7yrs) with a body mass index of (18.5kg/m²) in comparison with (12.5yrs) and (16.7kg/m²) of adolescent school girls attending public schools. The result from this study has shown that (50.8%) of school girls from gas flaring environment have attained menarche compared with (30.3%) from non-gas flaring environment at the age of (11.8yrs) with an increase positive percentage difference of (34.1%) between body mass index and the age at menarche among non-gas flaring adolescent and (37.2%), (22.9%) in gas flares stack surrounded communities in Bayelsa state.

Predicting high school students’ global civic engagement: A multiple regression analysis

The world is getting increasingly interconnected. For this reason, schools should apply strategies to develop students’ civic skills and global civic engagement. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of multicultural exposure, multicultural interaction, social media usage, and study abroad experience on global civic engagement. The correlational survey model was applied for the study. The participants were selected through cluster random sampling during the 2018–2019 academic year. This study was implemented with 425 high school students who attend private schools. The authors used Global Citizenship Scale (Morais & Ogden, 2011) and Multicultural Experience Assessment (Aytug, Kern, & Dilchert, 2018). The findings showed that multicultural exposure, multicultural interaction, and social media usage were positively correlated to global civic engagement. In addition, multicultural exposure, multicultural interaction, social media usage, and study abroad experience significantly predicted global civic engagement.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in South Africa: Programmatic Challenges and Opportunities for Integration With Other Adolescent Health Services?

Compared to other regions of the world, sub-Saharan Africa has made limited progress in the implementation and performance of nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes. Without urgent intervention, this will serve to undermine cervical cancer elimination efforts in this region. The primary intent of this narrative review is to highlight the programmatic successes and challenges of the school-based HPV vaccination programme in South Africa since its inception in 2014, with the aim of contributing to the evidence base needed to accelerate implementation and improve programme performance in other sub-Saharan African countries. As of 2020, the proportion of adolescent girls aged 15 years who had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine at any time between ages 9–14 years was 75%, while 61% had completed the full recommended two-dose schedule. This gives some indication of the reach of the South African HPV vaccination programme over the past 6 years. Despite this, vaccine coverage and dose completion rates have persistently followed a downward trend, slowing progress toward attaining global elimination targets. There is evidence suggesting that declining public demand for the HPV vaccine may be a result of weakening social mobilization over time, inadequate reminder and tracking systems, and vaccine hesitancy. Another concern is the disproportionate burden of HPV and HIV co-infections among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa, which predisposes them to early development of invasive cervical cancer. Moving forward, national policy makers and implementers will have to explore reforms to current age eligibility criteria and vaccine dose schedules, as well as implement strategies to support vaccine uptake among populations like out-of-school girls, girls attending private schools, and HIV positive young women. Additional opportunities to strengthen the South African HPV vaccination programme can be achieved by scaling up the co-delivery of other adolescent health services such as comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights education, deworming, and health screening. This calls for reinforcing implementation of the integrated school health policy and leveraging existing adolescent health programmes and initiatives in South Africa. Ultimately, establishing tailored, adolescent-centered, integrated health programmes will require guidance from further operational research.

Associations of conflict and migration on childhood cognitive development in Ethiopia: Evidence from a longitudinal study.

Migration has substantial consequences on the wellness of affected households, thereby exposing children to circumstances that are detrimental for healthy cognitive development. This study evaluates the relationship between conflict and migration during conception or early childhood and childhood cognitive development outcomes among families in Ethiopia. We hypothesized that migration is associated with worse cognitive development outcomes among children and that this association is mediated by educational disparities and caregiver psychological distress. The study used longitudinal data of children enrolled in the Young Lives Study (YLS) conducted in Ethiopia during 2002 (age 1), 2006-2007 (age 5), and 2009-2010 (age 8). We used multivariate linear and logistic regression to analyze the association between migration on cognitive development during middle childhood. Household migration and caregiver psychological distress were measured during round 1, type of education was measured at round 2, and cognitive development was measured at round 3. Results of the multivariate regression analysis showed that migrant children achieved lower scores on a test of verbal intelligence after controlling for sex, ethnicity, religion, and caregiver distress (β: -8.09; 95% CI: -15.33, -0.85). Results of the mediation analysis show that the type of schooling that children attended, but not caregiver psychological distress, mediated the association between migration and cognitive development. Migrant children were more likely to attend private schools, which buffered the association between migration and lower cognitive development. This study suggests that migration is a key determinant of childhood cognitive development among migrated populations. More research is needed to build the evidence base to support interventions for this growing, underserved population.

Prevalence and risk factors of myopia amongst Grade 8 learners in the Vhembe district, South Africa

Background: Myopia is the most common cause of refractive errors in both adults and children in many countries. However, it is not a simple refractive error but sometimes and eyesight-threatening disorder. The disorder has a great impact on public health and the socio-economic well-being of people, particularly children.Aim: The study aimed to assess the prevalence of myopia amongst secondary school learners.Setting: The study was conducted in the Vhembe District, South Africa.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out amongst 297 Grade 8 students of 13 to 14 years of age. The students were selected using a multi-stage-stratified cluster sampling technique from three secondary schools. Two public secondary schools and one private secondary school. The learners’ socioeconomic background, type of school and parental myopia were assessed by a questionnaire before visual acuity assessment. Learners with visual acuity of less than or equal to 6/12 in the worse eye, who showed vision improvement with pinhole, underwent non-cycloplegic retinoscopy and subjective refraction were selected. Myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent of less than or equal to −0.50 dioptre (D). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics.Results: A total of 289 learners completed the study (156 aged 14 years and 133 aged 13 years). A total of 30 learners were identified to have myopic refractive error making the prevalence of 10.4%. Of the 154 females, 14 (47.0%) had myopia, whilst 16 (53.0%) of the 135 males had myopia making males slightly more myopic than females. From the total learners diagnosed to have refractive error (n = 40), myopia constituted 30/40 (75.0%) of the learners indicating that it is the commonest type of refractive error amongst secondary learners. Myopia was more common amongst older age children (14 years; 57.0%). About 18 (60.0%) participants were from the urban area. A total of 17 (57%) of the myopic learners attended private school and about 63% of the participants’ parents were myopic.Conclusion: Spending more time indoor and continuous reading without resting are risk factors of myopia whilst increased outdoor activities were observed as protective environmental factors against myopia in secondary school learners. Doing more outdoors activities may be beneficial to protect against myopia onset.

T‐tapping in Standard Southern British English: An ‘elite’ sociolinguistic variant?

AbstractSocial class is one of the key axes of sociolinguistic variation, but the speech of those at the top of the class spectrum—the elite—is rarely studied. While T‐glottalling has spread widely across British English accents, a competing variant—T‐tapping—has attracted little scholarly attention in the United Kingdom. This article presents a study of elite speech by examining sociolinguistic variation in T‐tapping among adolescent speakers of Standard Southern British English. Data were collected from interviews with teenagers aged 16–19 at two schools in Hampshire, UK. T‐tapping is led by those who previously attended private school and is used more by boys than girls in formal speech. The findings suggest that T‐tapping may be used to index a combination of authority and informality, which is invoked by elite speakers to assert themselves from a position of privilege while maintaining an image of openness and approachability.

Determinants of undernutrition among private and public primary school children: A comparative cross-sectional study toward nutritional transition in northwest Ethiopia

ObjectivesUndernutrition is a major public health concern, particularly in children. The burden is higher in developing countries. Undernutrition is considered when there is one or more of the following: stunting, underweight, or wasting. Childhood undernutrition can have numerous long-term effects: a lower physical capacity for work, lower intellectual quotients, greater risk for morbidity and mortality, and cognitive impairment. Undernourished children also can have poor cognitive scores, a high absenteeism rate, and high class repetition compared with non-undernourished children. The aim of this study was to assess undernutrition and its associated factors among public and private primary school children in Gondar town, northwest Ethiopia. MethodsA school-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from March 5 to April 9, 2019. A multistage sampling technique was applied to select study participants. A simple random (lottery) sampling method was used to select seven public schools and five private schools. Systematic random sampling was used to select 774 study participants. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to identify factors associated with undernutrition. The World Health Organization (WHO) AnthroPlus software was used to determine the status of undernutrition. Participants with a Z-score less than –2 were considered to be undernourished. Statistical significance was declared at P < 0.05 and odds ratios (ORs) were reported with a 95% confidence interval (CI). ResultsThe prevalence of undernutrition was higher among public school children (37.1%) than those attending private schools (28.3%). Not having family car (adjusted OR [aOR], 0.28; 95% CI, 0.09–0.84), snack frequency no more than twice a day (aOR, 5.29; 95% CI, 1.37–20.37), and vigorous intensity sports (aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.32–0.91) were significantly associated with undernutrition among public primary school students. Family income below the median (aOR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.23–3.53), no preference for sweets (aOR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.36–0.97), and not habits while reading (aOR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.19–0.89) were the factors significantly associated with undernutrition among private primary school students. ConclusionThe prevalence of undernutrition was high. Children in public schools were highly vulnerable to undernutrition compared with those in private schools. Not having a family car, snack frequency no more than twice daily, and vigorous intensity sports increase the risk for undernutrition among public school children. Family income below the median, not preferring sweets, and not having a habit of eating while reading increase the risk for undernutrition among private school children. It is better to give attention to healthy dietary habits and healthy lifestyles to reduce childhood undernutrition.

An Investigation of Changing Attitudes and Behaviors and Problematic Internet Use in Children Aged 8 to 17 Years During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lifestyle, habits, and behavioral differences in children, and their changing internet use habits. The research was planned as a cross-sectional study involving 4892 children aged 8 to 17 years attending schools in the city center of Trabzon, Turkey. Children's daily living activities, social habits, mood and temperament changes, and internet use were investigated before and during the pandemic. In terms of problematic internet use, internet addiction rates were evaluated using the validated Turkish-language version of the Parent-Child Internet Addiction Scale (PCIAT-20). The children's mean age was 13 ± 2.45 years, and 17.1% (n = 837) exhibited problematic internet use features on the PCIAT-20. Problematic internet use was higher in boys and in children older than 13 years. The presence of COVID-19 infection among members of the household, quarantine measures, attending private schools, the mother's occupation, the time spent by the mother and father on their mobile phones, and high parental education levels were associated with a high level of internet addiction. Families also described significant changes in their children's temperament and character compared with the pre-pandemic period. The prevalence of problematic internet use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with previous studies from Turkey. Children were also more introverted, irritable, and pessimistic during the pandemic.

Parental-perceived home and neighborhood environmental correlates of accelerometer-measured physical activity among school-going children in Uganda.

The benefits of physical activity (PA) on children's health and well-being are well established. However, many children do not meet the PA recommendations, increasing their risk of being overweight, obese, and non-communicable diseases. Environmental characteristics of homes and neighborhoods may constrain a child's ability to engage in PA, but evidence is needed to inform country-specific interventions in understudied low-income countries. This study assessed the associations between parental-perceived home and neighbourhood, built environment characteristics, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among children in Kampala city, Uganda. In this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from 256 children (55.5% girls) aged between 10 and 12 years and their parents. Children's MVPA was measured using waist-worn ActiGraph accelerometers. The environments were assessed using a valid self-reported parent survey. Linear regression models with standard errors (clusters) were used to analyze the relationship between environmental variables and children's MVPA. Sex-specific relationships were assessed using sex-stratified models. Play equipment at home (β = -2.37, p <0.001; unexpected direction), residential density (β = 2.70, p<0.05), and crime safety (β = -5.29, p <0.05; unexpected direction) were associated with children's MVPA. The sex-specific analyses revealed more inconsistent patterns of results with a higher perception of land use mix associated with less MVPA in girls (irrespective of school type attended), and higher perceptions of sidewalk infrastructure (β = -12.01, p <0.05) and walking and cycling infrastructure (β = -14.72, p <0.05) associated with less MVPA in girls attending public schools only. A better perception of crime safety was associated with less MVPA among boys and girls attending private schools (β = -3.80, p <0.05). Few environmental characteristics were related to children's MVPA in Uganda, and findings were largely inconsistent, especially among girls. Future studies are needed to understand the ecological determinants of health-related PA behaviors among children in Uganda.

Dimensions of inequality in children’s literacy and numeracy in Uganda: Evidence from a household-based assessment

This study examines factors that help to account for the large inequalities in the reading and numeracy skills of children aged 6–14 in Uganda. The analysis is based on a sub-sample of the Uwezo assessment and survey data of 2018. Attention is drawn to the effects of child absenteeism, ‘memory difficulty’, different kinds of household technology, preschool experience, private school attendance and regional poverty. It is argued that interventions needed to achieve more equitable outcomes would imply a stronger commitment to state responsibility for education, both at the pre-primary and the primary level. Further research on school practices that enhance the learning of basic skills is also recommended.

Prevalence and risk factors of myopia amongst Grade 8 learners in the Vhembe district, South Africa

Background: Myopia is the most common cause of refractive errors in both adults and children in many countries. However, it is not a simple refractive error but sometimes and eyesight-threatening disorder. The disorder has a great impact on public health and the socio-economic well-being of people, particularly children. Aim: The study aimed to assess the prevalence of myopia amongst secondary school learners. Setting: The study was conducted in the Vhembe District, South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out amongst 297 Grade 8 students of 13 to 14 years of age. The students were selected using a multi-stage-stratified cluster sampling technique from three secondary schools. Two public secondary schools and one private secondary school. The learners’ socioeconomic background, type of school and parental myopia were assessed by a questionnaire before visual acuity assessment. Learners with visual acuity of less than or equal to 6/12 in the worse eye, who showed vision improvement with pinhole, underwent non-cycloplegic retinoscopy and subjective refraction were selected. Myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent of less than or equal to −0.50 dioptre (D). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 289 learners completed the study (156 aged 14 years and 133 aged 13 years). A total of 30 learners were identified to have myopic refractive error making the prevalence of 10.4%. Of the 154 females, 14 (47.0%) had myopia, whilst 16 (53.0%) of the 135 males had myopia making males slightly more myopic than females. From the total learners diagnosed to have refractive error ( n = 40), myopia constituted 30/40 (75.0%) of the learners indicating that it is the commonest type of refractive error amongst secondary learners. Myopia was more common amongst older age children (14 years; 57.0%). About 18 (60.0%) participants were from the urban area. A total of 17 (57%) of the myopic learners attended private school and about 63% of the participants’ parents were myopic. Conclusion: Spending more time indoor and continuous reading without resting are risk factors of myopia whilst increased outdoor activities were observed as protective environmental factors against myopia in secondary school learners. Doing more outdoors activities may be beneficial to protect against myopia onset.

An Association Between Montessori Education in Childhood and Adult Wellbeing.

Wellbeing, or how people think and feel about their lives, predicts important life outcomes from happiness to health to longevity. Montessori pedagogy has features that enhance wellbeing contemporaneously and predictively, including self-determination, meaningful activities, and social stability. Here, 1905 adults, ages 18–81 (M = 36), filled out a large set of wellbeing scales followed by demographic information including type of school attended each year from 2 to 17. About half the sample had only attended conventional schools and the rest had attended Montessori for between 2 and 16 years (M = 8 years). To reduce the variable set, we first developed a measurement model of wellbeing using the survey data with exploratory then confirmatory factor analyses, arriving at four factors: general wellbeing, engagement, social trust, and self-confidence. A structural equation model that accounted for age, gender, race, childhood SES, and years in private school revealed that attending Montessori for at least two childhood years was associated with significantly higher adult wellbeing on all four factors. A second analysis found that the difference in wellbeing between Montessori and conventional schools existed even among the subsample that had exclusively attended private schools. A third analysis found that the more years one attended Montessori, the higher one’s wellbeing as an adult. Unmeasured selection effects could explain the results, in which case research should determine what third variable associated with Montessori schooling causes adult wellbeing. Several other limitations to the study are also discussed. Although some of these limitations need to be addressed, coupled with other research, including studies in which children were randomly assigned to Montessori schools, this study suggests that attending Montessori as a child might plausibly cause higher adult wellbeing.

Comparative Study of Dental Health Status and Its Determinants among Children Attending Government and Private Schools in Kanpur City.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis and its relation to various determinants like dietary habits, habits related to oral health, and oral hygiene practice among private and government school children of age 6–12 years in Kanpur City. A total of 1,550 children (775 from government school and 775 from private school) were selected. Overall, 60% children presented with caries. Prevalence of caries was significantly more associated with government school children (63.1%) compared with private school children (56.9%). The mean deft scores were high in government school children (1.08 ± 1.91) compared with private school children (0.93 ± 1.53). This was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The DMFT scores were also high among government school children (0.84 ± 1.25) compared with private school children (0.67 ± 1.19). This was statistically significant (p < 0.05). On the whole, out of 1,550 children only 17.8% children presented with gingivitis, in which majority had mild form of gingivitis when compared with moderate and severe forms. The prevalence of gingivitis was relatively high among government school children (55%) compared with private school children (45%). This was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Summing up, a conclusion could be drawn that the prevalence of both dental caries and gingivitis depends on the state of the oral hygiene habits and practices, correspondingly, due to schoolchildren's knowledge of individual oral hygiene and skills.How to cite this articleSingh N, Gaur S, Kumar M, et al. Comparative Study of Dental Health Status and Its Determinants among Children Attending Government and Private Schools in Kanpur City. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(5):666–673.

Do Private Schools Improve Learning Outcomes? Evidence from Within-Household Comparisons in East Africa and South Asia

A contentious debate in academic as well as policy circles relates to the growth in private schooling in the Global South. While proponents highlight the superior learning outcomes of pupils in private schools, others have argued that this is merely a reflection of the more advantaged family background of private school pupils, rather than an effect of private schooling itself. We contribute to this debate by providing estimates derived from household fixed-effect models, which control for any observed or unobserved differences between government and private school pupils at the household level. We argue that these can be interpreted as an upper bound estimate of the effect of private schooling on learning. We rely on large-scale, comparable household survey data from Kenya, Uganda, India, and Pakistan, focusing on children enrolled in grades 2–6 of primary school. Private school attendance ranges from 12 percent in Kenya to 33 percent in rural India, with substantial within-household variation. The findings show that controlling for family background almost eliminates the positive effect of private schooling in rural Pakistan and reduces it by around half in rural India, Kenya, and Uganda, to about a quarter of a standard deviation. Subgroup analyses show that the effect of private schooling is similar for children from poor and wealthier families. We argue that the benefits of private schooling are unlikely to outweigh its social costs.

Education Rights for Stateless Bidoon Children in Kuwait: The Voice of Government Officials

According to the United Nations, a stateless person is someone who has no legal identity in any nation whatsoever. In Kuwait, there are almost 110,000 stateless people who are known as Bidoon, which literally means “without”. Since 1991 Bidoon children have been shut out of the public school system as they are considered illegal immigrants. The only point of contact for legal interaction between the government of Kuwait and the Bidoon is the Central Agency for Remedying Illegal Immigrants’ Status. This complex bureaucracy has two conflicting responsibilities: (1) to investigate claims of citizenship by the Bidoon; and (2) to provide limited government services, including financial support to attend private schools. This research seeks to better understand the government’s position regarding Bidoon education, and present the individual voices and beliefs behind the government policies. Seven government officials were interviewed, including the head of the Central Agency. Their responses, arranged here around specific themes of visibility/invisibility, inclusion/exclusion, and denial/access, suggest some possible explanations for the government’s seeming lack of ability to resolve a situation that has continued for decades. By exploring the multitude of opinions that are impacting government policy, the present study aims to enhance understanding of the political and procedural roadblocks that are preventing the Kuwaiti government from resolving problems around educational access, legal status, and the rights of Bidoon children.

‘Intelligence is not just good grades’: re-examining the mindset revolution in Indian classrooms

ABSTRACT The present study examines how middle school students attending private schools in a major urban centre in India understand intelligence. The study focuses on mindset theory, which is a major framework in the literature on children’s understandings of intelligence. Mindset theories distinguish individuals based on beliefs about the malleability of personal characteristics. The present study used a mixed-methods approach to study mindsets and conceptualised mindsets as social representations. Interviews indicate that the malleability of intelligence, the fundamental core of the mindset meaning system, is not an important distinction for students. Instead, distinctions based on definitions of intelligence, as academic or social, are more pertinent. Focus groups highlight how definitions are constructed in peer cultures and classroom contexts. The study contributes to the growing critiques of mindset theory. The study proposes cultural psychology and social representations theory as theoretical tools to address existing controversies within the mindset literature.

The influence of school type on pupils’ proficiency in selected school subjects: Implications for curriculum implementation in Ghana

This research examined the influence of private and public schools on pupils‟ proficiency in mathematics and English language subjects. The theoretical model that supported the study was the bioecological model of human development. The sample comprised 16,481 Primary 3 and 14,495 Primary 6 pupils from 448 and 426 schools respectively. The research design was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Schools were sampled using a stratified random sampling technique. Data were analyzed using a multilevel modeling technique. The significance or otherwise of the influence of school type on pupils‟ proficiency in both subjects was assessed at p &lt; 0.001. The results showed that many pupils performed below the minimum competency level in both subjects uniquely because they attended public schools. Conversely, many pupils were found to be proficient in both subjects exclusively because they attended private schools. The research findings suggest that the type of primary schools pupils attend in Ghana significantly mattered for their academic success and the progression from one grade-level to another. The results imply that learning opportunities are not equal for all pupils. This has implications for the effective implementation of the primary school curriculum in the country. To improve upon the academic achievement of primary school children in Ghana, first, there is the need to eliminate the achievement gap between private and public schools.