IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/jpamgt/v45y2026i2ne70093.html

Understanding High Schools’ Effects on Longer‐Term Outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Preeya P. Mbekeani
  • John P. Papay
  • Ann Mantil
  • Richard J. Murnane

Abstract

Improving education and labor market outcomes for low‐income students is critical for advancing socioeconomic mobility in the United States. We use longitudinal data on five cohorts of ninth‐grade students to explore how Massachusetts public high schools affect the longer term outcomes of students, with a special focus on students from low‐income families. Using detailed administrative and student survey data, we estimate school value‐added impacts on college outcomes and earnings. Observationally similar students who attend a school at the 80th percentile of the value‐added distribution instead of a school at the 20th percentile are 11% more likely to enroll in college, are 31% more likely to graduate from a 4‐year college, and earn 25% (or $10,500) more annually at age 30. On average, schools that improve students’ longer run outcomes the most are those that improve their 10th‐grade test scores and increase their college plans the most.

Suggested Citation

  • Preeya P. Mbekeani & John P. Papay & Ann Mantil & Richard J. Murnane, 2026. "Understanding High Schools’ Effects on Longer‐Term Outcomes," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 45(2), March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:45:y:2026:i:2:n:e70093
    DOI: 10.1002/pam.70093
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.70093
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/pam.70093?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:45:y:2026:i:2:n:e70093. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/34787/home .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.