Tell the Private School Story through NAEP Participation!

When private school students participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) they tell a true and accurate story of their academic success.  Over the decades our nation’s private school students have shared a positive view of their educational progress and that story continues.  

While certainly not the only story, it is a very important one to tell as the NAEP results impact education policy decisions at the local, State and Federal level.  Education stakeholders around the country find private school information essential as the data contribute to a complete and accurate picture of education in the United States.

With the NAEP 2026 assessments, private schools have an opportunity to tell their story, and we strongly encourage you to participate should your school be invited to do so.  Private schools represent about 24 percent of schools in the nation and educate about 9 percent of the students.  By participating in NAEP 2026, your school will contribute to the full picture of educational progress across the nation and have influence on policy decisions in the future.

NAEP 2026 Assessments

NAEP, also referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, is conducting digitally based assessments in mathematics and reading at grades 4 and 8, and civics and U.S. history at grade 8 in public and private schools throughout the country. It is critical that all selected students participate to accurately capture private school student progress. Your participation can help make it possible to report NAEP results for private schools in 2026.

Participate and Give Private Schools a Voice in the National Education Conversation

This round of NAEP assessments will be conducted between January 26 and March 20, 2026. If your school is selected, please choose to participate and help give private schools a voice in the national education conversation. NAEP representatives administer the assessment at no cost to schools. Please note that only a subgroup of your students participates in the assessments.  Data collected from participating schools and students are combined for reporting as NAEP is not designed to report results at the school or student level.

Additional Information

For more information, please visit National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).