Learning Disruptions and Academic Outcomes

We examine the impact of school closures and the transition to online learning on the average learning outcomes of Australian children. Using longitudinal data on annual school-level performance in standardized assessments across five subjects and four grade levels, we analyze trends over 14 years (2008–2022, excluding 2020) for all Australian schools. Our analysis compares regions with varying levels of disruption to face-to-face teaching. Our findings indicate that COVID-related school closures led to a 0.17σ decline in standardized test scores (all-subject average). This decline occurs both in primary and secondary grades, affecting language and numeracy skills. The negative effects persist for at least three years after schools resumed in-person teaching. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that students from relatively advantaged background, who potentially made better use of the school inputs, suffered more. Additionally, we find i) school closures reduced learning disparities among secondary school students attending the same school as well as across secondary schools in a region, ii) schools with higher teacher-student ratios were better able to mitigate the negative effects of closures, and iii) government income support helped alleviate the adverse impact of school closures on student learning.