Healthy People 2010 is the initiative that defines the U.S. health agenda and guides policy. The initiative provides direction for individuals to change personal behaviors and for organizations and communities to support good health through health promotion policies. The objective of this research was to compare public and private schools on various health indicators collected from standardized assessment instruments. Data were available for 1,818 public school students and 1,862 private school students who completed the School Health Education Evaluation Instrument. Overall, public high school students reported higher percentages of behaviors that support food nutrition than private high school students. However, it is worth noting that number of responses scored as correct appears low for both groups of students and may warrant further attention. Educational policy makers need to address the problems associated with nutritional deficiencies and imbalances that could influence learning in schools. (Contains 5 tables and 10 references.) (SLD)