Does School Socioeconomic Status Matter Less for High-Performing Students Than for Their Lower-Performing Peers? A Quantile Regression Analysis of PISA 2018 Australia

• In Event: Socioeconomic Segregation in Schools and Student Achievements: Cross-National Comparisons, Differential Effects, and School Choice

Abstract

We examined whether the school socioeconomic composition effect on academic achievement is stronger or weaker for high-performing students than for average- and low-performing students. To date, little is known about the differential effects of school SES for students with varying levels of academic performance. Using data from PISA Australia 2018, we conducted quantile regression analysis to identify differential effects of school SES on student performance in reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy. We found that the school composition effect is substantial and is similar for all students, regardless of their level of academic performance. The findings also show that school SES is a stronger predictor than student SES for all student performance quintiles, and the size of the school SES effect relative to the size of student SES effect is larger in lower performance quintiles. We conclude by discussing implications for future research and education policymaking.

Authors

• Roslyn A. Mickelson, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Laura Perry, Murdoch University

• Argun Saatcioglu, University of Kansas