Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1997 Arts Assessment for eighth-grade students show that female students outperformed male students in every category of assessment for all three art forms assessed: (1) music; (2) theater; and (3) visual arts. In contrast to assessments in other subjects, nonpublic school students rarely outperformed public school students. Asian and white students had higher scores than black and Hispanic students in many but not all categories of the assessment. Includes 3 tables and web addresses for further information. (Author/LB)