Is That What You Paid For? Private School Tuition Predicting School Outcomes, Qualities, and Identities

• In Event: Choosing Schools: Preferences, Restraints, and Results

Abstract

This study examines the hypothesis that tuition corresponds with higher school quality and better academic and behavioral outcomes. Does a higher tuition indicate better school qualities? Does higher tuition indicate better school success? This study uses private school students from the kindergarten year of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), a national sample of students from diverse backgrounds. No significant relationship between tuition and school outcomes is found, although higher tuition is associated with larger schools. This has implications for parents who can choose to spend their money in other educational outlets for their children (such as hiring a tutor) instead of paying a higher tuition. It may also have broader implications for school choice policy.

Author

• Nicholas James Graham, University of California - Irvine