RESEARCH BULLETIN 2 Comparing the Standardized Test Scores of BC’s Public and Independent Schools Background—comparing the family The average after-tax family income of students income of students in British Columbia’s attending public schools in British Columbia in independent and public schools 2011 was $77,396. [...] None of students in the school who wrote the test.10 of the elective exams have been included in the Scores were collected over a five-year period study as there were not a sufficient number of (2011/12–2015/16) and averaged. [...] Methodology Results All of the students writing an FSA test in a par- Foundation Skills Assessment ticular year were divided into groups based on The five-year average results for the years the nature of the school they attend: public, non- 2011/12 to 2015/16 for each of the FSA exams elite independent, and elite independent. [...] Also shown is the percentage dif- each group using school scores weighted by the ference between the average five-year score for number of students in the school who wrote the public schools for each test and the scores of test. [...] Both categories of independent schools per- As with the FSA, all students writing a Provincial formed better than public schools for each of the Required Exam (PRE) in a particular year were six FSA exams, in amounts that are statistically divided into groups based on the nature of the significant (see the notes to table 1 for details school they attend: public, non-elite independ- of significance