Peer Characteristics and the Effectiveness of Single-Sex Schooling

Abstract

Single-sex schools have been suggested as an alternative to failing traditional public schools on the grounds that they provide a more favorable learning environment. However, estimated gains to academic achievement from single-sex schooling are generally confounded by selection bias since single-sex schools tend to attract different students than mainstream schools in most countries. This paper examines the difference in academic achievement between students in single-sex and coeducational schools across countries. The results suggest that single-sex schooling does not always have a positive influence on student achievement and that the selection process often explains a significant proportion of the observed achievement gap between single-sex and coeducational schools.

Single-sex schools have been suggested as an alternative to failing traditional public schools on the grounds that they provide a more favorable learning environment. However, estimated gains to academic achievement from single-sex schooling are generally confounded by selection bias since single-sex schools tend to attract different students than mainstream schools in most countries. This paper examines the difference in academic achievement between students in single-sex and coeducational schools across countries. The results suggest that single-sex schooling does not always have a positive influence on student achievement and that the selection process often explains a significant proportion of the observed achievement gap between single-sex and coeducational schools.