EA 1.2

GRADE RETENTION: PERCENTAGE OF CURRENT SECOND GRADERS WHO WERE RETAINED IN KINDERGARTEN AND/OR FIRST GRADE

Children’s early primary school experiences are associated with their adjustment to school and their later school success. Grade retention (repeating a grade) at an early age may indicate that a child has started school without adequate preparation and may continue to experience school problems in subsequent years. It may also measure the degree to which schools are able to respond to children from a variety of backgrounds.⁴

Table EA 1.2 presents data on the percentage of second grade students who were retained in kindergarten and/or first grade, as reported by their parents. Estimates are presented for 1991, 1993, and 1995. These data indicate that 11 percent of second grade children in 1991 had repeated kindergarten and/or first grade and 8 percent in 1993 and 1995 had repeated either or both of these grades.

Differences by Gender. Males were more likely than females to have repeated kindergarten and/or first grade. For example, in 1995, 11 percent of male second graders had repeated a grade, in comparison with only 5 percent of females (see Table EA 1.2).

Differences by Race and Ethnicity.⁵ In 1995, black and Hispanic second graders were more likely than their white peers to have repeated kindergarten and/or first grade (see Table EA 1.2). Twelve percent of black children and 10 percent of Hispanic children had repeated a grade, compared with 7 percent of white children. Rates declined for each race and ethnic group between 1991 and 1995, but especially among Hispanic children, for whom rates dropped by almost half, from 18 percent to 10 percent.
 
 

Figure EA 1.2  Percentage of Second Graders Who Were Retained in Kindergarten and/or First Grade, by Poverty Status and Mother’s Education: 1995

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey of 1995.
 

Differences by Socioeconomic Status. Grade repetition differs by family socioeconomic status, measured by poverty status and maternal education levels (see Figure EA 1.2). In 1995, 10 percent of children in poor families (at or below the poverty threshold) had repeated a grade, in comparison with 7 percent of second graders living in nonpoor families (above the poverty threshold). Grade repetition varies by maternal education, with the highest percentage of grade repetition in 1995 among children whose mothers did not complete high school (12 percent) and the lowest percentage among children whose mothers were college graduates (5 percent). Rates of grade repetition among children whose mothers did not complete high school declined substantially between 1991 and 1995, from 21 percent to 12 percent.
 

Table EA 1.2  Percentage of Second Graders Who Were Retained in Kindergarten and/or First Grade, by Child and Family Characteristics: 1991, 1993, and 1995
			1991	1993	1995
			———	———	———
Total			11	8	8
	Gender
		Male	13	10	11
		Female	9	7	5
	Race/Ethnicity
		White non-Hispanic	9	7	7
		Black non-Hispanic	15	12	12
		Hispanic	18	11	10
	Poverty Statusa
		Non-poor	9	8	7
		Poor	18	10	10
	Family Type
		Two parents	10	7	8
		One or no parent	14	11	9
	Mother’s Educationb
		Less than high school	21	15	12
		High school/GED	12	9	9
		Vocational/technical or some college	9	6	7
		College graduate	4	5	5
	Mother’s Employment Statusb
		35 hours or more per week	12	8	9
		Less than 35 hours per week	8	8	6
		Not in labor force	11	9	8
Note: aChildren were classified as non-poor (living above the poverty threshold) or poor (living below the poverty threshold), based on family size and income. See Wright, D., Hausken, E.G., and West, J. (1994). Family-Child Engagement in Literacy Activities: Changes in Participation Between 1991 and 1993. Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.  bChildren without mothers in the home are not included in estimates dealing with mother’s education or mother’s employment status. A mother is defined as a biological mother, adoptive mother, stepmother, foster mother, or female guardian (e.g., grandmother) who resides in the home with the child  Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1991, 1993, and 1995 National Household Education Survey.

⁵ Estimates for whites and blacks exclude Hispanics of those races.
 

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