St. Stephen’s averages 1.2 (one year and two months) above grade level on the Iowa tests.  The Iowa tests are used amongst private schools nationally and are, in our opinion, more competitive.  We serve military families who need to evaluate where their student is testing in comparison to the areas they may next be living.  We feel therefore, the Iowa tests are a better choice because of the importance of evaluating our students on a national, as well as state level.

Christian Schools Fare Well (taken from www.capenet.org)

Of the record-breaking 1.4 million SAT takers in the class of 2003, 17 percent attended religious and independent schools. The private school share is significant since such schools only enroll 9 percent of the nation’s 12th graders. What’s more, the performance of private school students helped boost the national average (see chart). Combined scores (verbal and math) for public school students were 1020, while combined scores for religiously affiliated and independent schools were, respectively, 1065 and 1123.

Thirty-six percent of this year’s SAT takers are minority students, an all-time high, and 38 percent are first-generation college-bound students.

Commenting on the scores and trends, College Board President Gaston Caperton offered this optimistic assessment: “Higher SAT scores, a record number of test-takers, and more diversity add up to a brighter picture for American education. While we certainly need to make more progress, the fact remains that we are clearly headed in the right direction.”

   

Survey Finds Public Likes Private Schools

December 1999 - By a margin of nine to one, Americans believe parents should have the right to choose their child's school, according to a report released last month by Public Agenda, a research organization based in New York City . Moreover, if they were given a choice of schools-- along with the financial wherewithal to exercise it-- a full 55 percent of parents who currently send their children to public schools would want to send them to private schools.

The report, titled On Thin Ice, presents findings from a poll taken to assess the public's attitudes on vouchers, charter schools, and related issues. The survey of 1,200 citizens, about one-third of whom were parents of school-age children, was bolstered by insights from five focus groups.

One of the poll's findings is that people who have private schools in their communities believe by wide margins that such schools "generally provide a better education" than public schools and do a better job "teaching academic skills" and "maintaining discipline and order." (For 67 percent of respondents, the term "private schools" refers to "parochial schools or Christian academies," while for 16 percent it refers to "nonreligious private schools.")