Public subsidies for private schooling: A comparative analysis of Argentina and Chile

Argentina and Chile have long‐standing policies that award public subsidies to private schools. This article compares the academic outcomes of seventh‐ and eighth‐graders in public and private schools in each country. Three types of private schools are analyzed: Catholic schools that are subsidized by the government, nonreligious schools that are subsidized, and private schools that receive no subsidies. Ultimately, the analyses suggest a mixed portrait of private school effectiveness, in which Catholic schools have the most consistent links to achievement. Nonreligious subsidized schools in Chile, often operated by for‐profit corporations, produce outcomes no different from public schools.