Recent studies have suggested that performance-related differences between private and public schools disappear once student background characteristics are accounted for. However, given the sometimes significant variation in economic, social and cultural norms across countries these findings may not have universal relevance. The main purpose of this study was to determine whether or not literacy in private and public schools in Qatar differs in key areas such as mathematics, reading and science, and if such differences exist then whether or not they persist after controlling for student demographic characteristics such as age, gender, parental occupation, parental education, family wealth, cultural possessions and availability of educational resources at home. Our results indicate that there is indeed a significant mean difference in literacy between private and public schools in Qatar, and that this difference does not disappear even after controlling for student background characteristics. Implications were discussed.