The Ecological Context of Student Achievement: School Building Quality Effects are Exacerbated by High Levels of Student Mobility

This study demonstrates that the quality of school buildings significantly impacts children’s academic achievement. It draws from two distinct research fields to reveal a statistical interaction between poor school building quality and high student mobility rates, contributing to lower academic performance. Using data from New York City public schools, the authors show that elementary school children have lower achievement scores if they attend schools of poor structural quality and with high student mobility rates. The significant main and interactive effects of school building quality and student mobility on standardized test scores occur independently of the socioeconomic and racial composition of the school.