An Analysis of the Ordinal Rank Effect on Students’ Academic and Physical Outcomes

This study investigated the impact of academic and physical fitness rankings in the sixth grade on the academic and physical fitness outcomes of ninth-grade students. While existing literature extensively explores the effects of academic rank on various outcomes, this study uniquely examines the concurrent influence of both academic and physical fitness ranks. We analyzed the relationship between sixth-grade rankings and ninth-grade performance using administrative data from a large municipality in the Tokyo metropolitan area of Japan. Additionally, we explored the mechanisms driving these effects using student questionnaire data on behaviors and opinions. We found a positive effect of sixth-grade ordinal ranks on both academic and physical fitness, as measured by the corresponding ninth-grade scores. These rank effects were largely linear and were more pronounced for males in terms of academic achievement. No significant heterogeneity in the effects was observed by socioeconomic status or the teacher’s gender. While no spillover effects exist between academic and physical fitness, a higher mathematics rank is correlated with better performance in Japanese language arts. Finally, higher ordinal ranks were associated with increased motivation among female students, whereas male students exhibited evidence of the effects of misinformation on their abilities. No external influences from teachers or parents were observed. This study highlights the importance of considering both academic and physical fitness rankings when analyzing student outcomes, thereby contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of peer effects in education.