More parents than ever are sending their kids to private schools, but a Fairfax Media analysis of the MySchool website shows primary-aged students in private schools are performing only slightly better than students in public schools.
But the gap widened significantly in secondary school, with private school students eclipsing their state school counterparts.
The findings are based on results from the 2014 NAPLAN test. The assessment covers numeracy and literacy.
The difference in average scores in numeracy was 0.6 per cent in Grade 3, jumping to over 2 per cent difference in Year 9.
On the persuasive writing test, the gap jumped from nearly 7 per cent in Grade 3 to nearly 9 per cent in Year 9.
But the gap widened significantly in secondary school, with private school students eclipsing their state school counterparts.
The findings are based on results from the 2014 NAPLAN test. The assessment covers numeracy and literacy
The difference in average scores in numeracy was 0.6 per cent in Grade 3, jumping to over 2 per cent difference in Year 9.
On the persuasive writing test, the gap jumped from nearly 7 per cent in Grade 3 to nearly 9 per cent in Year 9.
Several studies both Australian and international tackling the age-old private versus public debate have found no differences in the results of students from government, Catholic and independent schools once social disadvantage was taken into account.
This is despite fee rises of between 3 and 5 per cent at elite private schools, outstripping the past year's 2.3 per cent increase in the consumer price index.
Yet the Fairfax analysis showed that there are pronounced gaps in NAPLAN performance between the state and private sectors once students were tested in secondary school.
University of Melbourne Adjunct Professor Gary Marks conducted research showing students at private schools generally performed better than their peers in the public sector in Year 12.
He said private schools tended to pour more resources in later school years, which could explain why the academic gaps were more significant in secondary school.
"In the years leading up to Year 12, [private] schools get more serious about devoting resources and high quality teachers to students."
Independent Schools Victoria chief executive Michelle Green said schools should not be compared on NAPLAN data alone, as the test did not measure all aspects of student learning.
"Any simplistic comparisons between schools ignores the rich range of experiences children receive every day at every school."
Dandenong North Primary School is one of the many state primary schools which out-performed some private schools in NAPLAN tests, despite scoring well below average on a commonly applied measure of social advantage for schools.
Eighty five per cent of the school's students are from non-English speaking backgrounds, and many are refugees.
Yet the Grade 3 students at the school achieved an average score of 473 on the NAPLAN spelling test, well over the statewide average of 418.
Principal Kevin Mackay said some families had moved from interstate so their children could benefit from the school's successful English as a second language program.
He said the secret to the school's success was investing in teachers so they became experts at working with students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Teachers and parents had high expectations of the students, he said.
"Many parents have given up everything to bring their kids to a new country and they have pinned all their hopes on their children to achieve. The kids often reflect that."
Shahida Doostizadah, who arrived from Afghanistan with her two children in 2008, said her sons at Dandenong North Primary school were blitzing their tests, despite starting school in Australia with no English.
"They get A and A plus … they read a lot of books in English and do at least one hour of homework at night. The school has made it easy for them to understand and enjoy their studies."
Go to the Age and check out the 4014 results online.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/primaryaged-students-in-private-schools-perform-only-slightly-better-naplan-20150713-gib6yw.html#ixzz3flqOFsbR
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