Evidence on optimal school size is mixed. We estimate the effect of transitory changes in school size on the academic achievement of fourth-and fifth-grade students in North Carolina using student-level longitudinal administrative data. Estimates of value-added models that condition on school-specific linear time trends and a variety of…

This article examines the factors that determine a high school's probability of offering Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. The likelihood that a school offers advanced courses, and the number of sections that it offers, is largely driven by having a critical mass of students who enter high school with…

Evidence suggests: (1) a negative relationship exists between some educational outcomes and school size; (2) the minimum efficient sizes of elementary and high schools are about 300 and 500, respectively; and (3) schools will tend to be smaller and more efficient under voucher systems than under public systems. (RL)

The relationship between high school size and student learning was studied using three waves of data from the National Education Longitudinal Study with hierarchical linear modeling to examine achievement growth in reading and mathematics. Results suggest that the ideal high school enrolls between 600 and 900 students. Exceptions are discussed.…

Combines budget and performance information to study the effects of high school size. Suggests that since small high schools are more effective for minority and poor students, and the budget per student is found to be similar for small and large schools, policymakers might support the creation of more small high schools. (SLD)

To investigate the association of 18 educational and other outcomes with 23 school and district characteristics, data were drawn from 293 public secondary schools in New Jersey. Findings suggest that smaller schools and districts may be more efficient in enhancing educational outcomes than larger schools and districts. (SLD)

This study evaluates a model predicting that school size affects student participation in extracurricular activities and that these leisure interests will continue in young adult life. High school social participation, it is hypothesized, also is influenced by curriculum track placement and academic performance, which are affected by student…

Data from the High School and Beyond study were used to investigate the comprehensiveness of programs in mathematics, science, and foreign language in large and small high schools. Large schools offered more comprehensive programs than did smaller schools, but there was substantial variation in comprehensiveness at any school size. (SLD)

The relationship between the organizational scale of schooling (school and school district size) and school success is examined. The history of the movement toward larger school units, the evidence of the effects of that movement, and possible research strategies for further investigation of the issue are discussed. (JKS)

High School and Beyond data for 175 rural high schools suggest that creating larger institutions will increase student misbehavior. However, for small rural high schools, this increase will border the trivial. Decisions to consolidate schools should rest on criteria other than equity, efficiency, and its effects on student behavior. (RLC)

Studied how enrollment size influences two organizational features of schools: curriculum and social relations. Interviews with teachers, principals, guidance counselors, and students in six public high schools and three schools of choice (two religious, one public) showed the personal nature of social relations in small schools and the targeting…

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 were used to investigate the effects of high school size on student participation (in athletics, drama, music, debating, journalism, or student government), student satisfaction (feeling part of the school, satisfaction with required courses), and student attendance.…

High School and Beyond Study data for 744 public high schools were used to study the influence of school size on diversity of academic offerings, school social climate, and dropout rate. Potential links between school size and dropout rate were greatly attributable to social climate, especially concerning student participation. (SLD)

School dropout rates for two consecutive years (1985-86 and 1986-87) for all California regular public high schools are examined in conjunction with the percentage of students covered by Aid to Families with Dependent Children, total enrollment, achievement, and academic course enrollments. Higher achievement was associated with lower dropout…