Ask any parent who sends a child to a private school what makes the tuition payments worthwhile, and they're likely to cite several reasons.
Smaller classes. Individual attention. School uniforms. Religious instruction. Family tradition.

But do all those things really add up to better academic results? In the early years, not necessarily. By the time children reach eighth grade, though, most private schools in Erie and Niagara counties have a passing rate on state tests that's 20 points higher than children in public schools, a Buffalo News analysis found.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...04/1043539.asp