Boys get better grades at single-sex schools than when they're in mixed-gender schools, where girls consistently outperform them, a New Zealand study shows.
The study, based on the long-term Christchurch Health and Development Study at the University of Otago, compared the educational achievements of over 900 boys and girls who attended single-sex and co-educational secondary schools in New Zealand.
For students attending single-sex secondary schools, there was a slight tendency for males to outperform females.
For students attending co-educational schools, however, there was a clear tendency for girls to outperform boys, a pattern that continued when students were followed up to the age of 25.
"These findings are consistent with the argument that attending single-sex schools reduces or mitigates the current gap between boys and girls in educational achievement," noted principal researcher Sheree Gibb.
And the effects of single-sex schooling also influenced getting secondary school qualifications, attending university, and obtaining Bachelors degrees, Gibb said.
The study was published in the Australian Journal of Education. (Reuters Health)