Introduction: The aim of this research was to contrast and assess the levels of oral hygiene and caries experience among children in government and private schools in Jammu region, India. Materials and methods: The study was conducted among 1,564 schoolchildren aged 12–15 years. By combining a stratified random sampling approach with cluster sampling, research participants were selected. Intraoral examination was recorded in the World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Assessment Form for Children 2013, and decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index and oral hygiene index simplified (OHI-S) were used for recording the oral health status. Results: The mean OHI-S for students in government schools was higher, 2.3 ± 2.91, than the mean OHI-S for students in private schools, 1.6 ± 1.79. In contrast to the children from government schools, where 37.1% of school students had good scores in oral hygiene, 66.5% of students from private schools were found to have good oral hygiene. Government school students had higher mean DMFT scores (1.06 ± 1.63) than those attending private schools (0.49 ± 1.46). The mean OHI-S score and the mean number of decayed teeth in the students attending government schools showed a strong positive correlation. Conclusion: Children who attend government schools have significantly poor oral health than children who attend private schools. The oral health interventions need to be planned in such a way that government schoolchildren should be prioritized due to poor oral health status and lack of access to dental care facilities.