Did They Send Their Best? Undocumented Student Achievement in Public Education

• In Event: Papers and Money: How Parental Financial Contributions and Student Legal Status Influence Outcomes

Abstract

Data privacy has typically limited possibilities for quantitative research on the achievement of undocumented students in K-12 education. I examine the achievement of undocumented students in a set of California high schools using a linked high-school-to-community-college dataset that includes an indicator of legal status used for financial aid determinations. I also assess undocumented students’ contribution to school performance between 2003 and 2012, a context of school accountability. By most academic measures, undocumented students consistently outperformed their peers and matched or bested school test score averages.

Author

• Federick Ngo, University of Nevada - Las Vegas