We compare attributes and experiences 413 young women, from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds who attended government versus private schools at the primary and secondary level.

We found Caste more than income or years of parental education was the biggest predictor of school type attended Private schools had better infrastructural provisions, higher rates of reported peer bullying and better 10^th standard exam outcomes.

Those who attended low fee private schools reported substantially elevated educational costs compared to government schools Paradoxically, a larger portion of participants who attended government schools reported their families had fallen into debt to support their education.

Reports of teacher violence and teacher absenteeism were largely consistent across institution types.

Those whose parents had the lowest rates of educational attainment were the most likely to report having been victimized.