How Newly Resettled Students Affect Classmates’ Achievement

This study looks at how the arrival of newly resettled students affects their classmates’ school outcomes in a large urban school district. The analysis examines changes in grade-level shares of these students and links them to classmates’ test scores in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, along with attendance and discipline measures. On average, a one percentage point increase in the share of these peers is associated with a small rise in Math performance and no average change in ELA scores. Additional analysis finds mixed ELA effects: lower-achieving students show some decline while higher-achieving students show gains. The paper presents evidence of both academic and non-academic spillover effects from integrating this population into schools.

What the study examined

This research explores how the presence of newly resettled students in a large urban school district relates to the academic and behavioral outcomes of existing students. The focus is on how variation in the share of these students within schools and across grade levels connects to classmates’ performance on English Language Arts (ELA) and Math tests, as well as to attendance and disciplinary records.

The study uses differences in grade-level shares to isolate the relationship between peer composition and student outcomes, aiming to identify spillover effects that go beyond individual characteristics.

Key findings

• Math outcomes: On average, a one percentage point increase in the share of these peers at the grade level is linked to a 0.01 standard deviation increase in Math test scores. This indicates a small positive association between higher shares and Math performance among non-newcomer students.
• ELA outcomes: There is no clear average effect on ELA test scores. However, when the analysis allows for different effects depending on group performance, results diverge: lower-achieving students experience negative spillovers in ELA, while higher-achieving students experience positive spillovers.
• Non-academic outcomes: The study also reports estimates for attendance and disciplinary incidents, treating these as additional ways peer composition may influence school environments and student behavior.

Why it matters

These findings contribute to discussions about the broader consequences of integrating newly resettled students into public schools by documenting both academic and behavioral spillovers. The mixed results suggest that impacts vary across subjects and across students with different achievement levels, rather than producing uniform effects for all classmates.

Understanding these nuanced patterns can inform conversations about resource allocation, classroom supports, and policy design aimed at supporting diverse student populations while monitoring effects on incumbent students’ learning and school experiences.