This study was carried out in Central Division, Mitayna District. The purpose of this study was to assess academic performance among pupils in private and government primary schools. This objectives that guided the study were to; establish the difference in the academic performance of pupils in private and public primary schools, explore the differences in terms of school equipment/facilities between the private and public primary schools, examine the qualification of teachers in private and public primary schools. The research design used in this study is descriptive survey. The population sample included four head teachers, ten teachers and sixteen pupils totaling to twenty respondents. This number of respondents was used because it was enough to obtain the required data. Teachers and pupils were chosen using simple random sampling technique whereas the head teachers were selected using purposive sampling technique from the five sampled schools. Data was collected using the oral interviews, questionnaires and the observation guide. Quantitative data were then entered into the computer for analysis using the Microsoft Word 7 which generated the frequencies and percentages which were used to discuss the findings. The major findings of the study were; it was established that the overall academic performance of private primary schools was better than those in public primary schools. It was established that majority of the students with first grades and second grades came from private primary schools. In addition all the ungraded pupils were from the public primary schools. It was established that private primary schools had adequate and suitable furniture such as tables and desks, public primary schools had more proper instructional materials such as text books and teaching aids and class rooms because these are constructed by the government. However, the study findings showed that public primary schools had the best qualified teachers with the best experience to teach the learners. This could be attributed to the fact that it‟s the government that pay these teachers and deploy them after close supervision. Consequently, the analysis showed that there is a significant difference in academic performance of the pupils from both public primary schools and private primary schools. The study recommended that Primary education should be understood by parents and government as the basic foundation for future levels of education that is secondary, tertiary and university institutions and the government should create a forum where all stakeholders in the business of education will be meeting to discuss areas of problems in primary education in the state and proper solutions to the problems.

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