Relationship between private schooling and achievement: Results from rural and urban India

► In this study we compare public and private school performance in rural and urban India using regression analysis and propensity score matching. ► We utilize five different achievement measures and two different definitions of 'private' schools. ► The findings call into question the claim that private school effect may be unequivocally positive and highlights the potential heterogeneity in private school performance in the Indian context.