School Gender Composition and Academic Performance: Evidence from Transition from Single-Sex to Coeducational Schools
Seoul Journal of Economics 2017, Vol. 30, No. 4
22 Pages Posted: 4 Dec 2017
Date Written: November 30, 2017
Abstract
We examine how the gender composition of students within schools affects their academic performance. For causal identification, we exploit within-school variation in the gender composition because of policy-driven transitions from single-sex to coeducational schools. In Seoul, South Korea, several high schools were converted from single-sex to coeducational schools between 1998 and 2003, by the city superintendent’s Coeducational School Expansion Policy. We find that boys’ test score dropped when their schools began to admit girls based on administrative test score data on standardized college entrance examination. However, the negative effect disappeared when the school transition was complete. We find no effect on girls who were admitted to previously boys-only schools.
Keywords: Gender composition of students; Single-sex schools, Coeducational schools; High school academic performance; College entrance examination score
JEL Classification: I2, J1, H5
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation