Do selective high schools improve student achievement? Effects of exam schools in China

- We study the impact of selective high schools in Beijing on academic performance.
- Attending an elite school does not affect students' scores on the college entrance exam.
- Attending a better non-elite school increases students' college entrance exam scores.
- Peer effects and observed school quality partially explain the findings.
- Girls and disadvantaged students gain more from attending a better non-elite school.

We use regression discontinuity design to examine the effect of a system of public exam high schools, which admit students solely by pre-existing achievement, on student college entrance exam scores in Beijing, China. More selective exam schools may have higher peer quality and sometimes are equipped with more experienced teachers and better facilities. We find, however, that elite exam high schools, which are the most selective, have no effects on student test scores. We find that on average the system of exam schools improves student performance on the exam, which indicates that students benefit from attending more selective non-elite schools. The results on qualifying for college admission are consistent with our findings about test scores. Differences among schools in peer achievement, student/teacher ratio and the percentage of certificated and experienced teachers partially explain our findings; self-choices of track and exam participation do not explain test scores or college admission.