Class Rank and Long-Run Outcomes

Abstract This paper considers an unavoidable feature of the school environment, class rank. What are long-run effects a student's ordinal rank in elementary school? Using administrative data on all public-school students Texas, we show that with higher third-grade academic rank, conditional achievement and classroom fixed effects, have subsequent test scores, more likely to take AP classes, graduate from high school, enroll college, ultimately earnings 19 years later. We also discuss necessary assumptions for identification propose new solutions challenges. The concludes by exploring tradeoff between quality schools presence these rank-based peer effects.