A critical barrier for implementing inclusive education is the concern of its detrimental impacts on students without special educational needs (SEN), while studies in this direction are insufficient. This study aimed to identify the role of inclusive education in academic and social-emotional development of students without SEN, using both variable- and person-oriented approaches. One thousand one hundred and fifty-five 10-year-old Chinese students without SEN from the OECD 'Survey on Social-Emotional Skills' were selected. Results illustrated that (1) inclusion showed neutral effects on academic achievement, and had slight positive associations with optimism, tolerance and sociability; (2) socioeconomic status positively moderated the associations of inclusion with trust, tolerance and assertiveness, in which inclusion had greater benefits to those with higher socioeconomic status; (3) inclusion had a tighter linkage with optimism for students having a lower-level optimism (last 25%-50%). Findings help relieve the social concerns, and imply teachers how to optimise the social-emotional benefits in inclusive classes.