NYC Study Gives K-8 Schools an Edge Over Middle Schools

A new study of New York City public school students suggests that moving to middle school can be more detrimental to students’ continued academic progress than staying in a K-8 school.

According to the study, which was posted online today by the journal Education Next , students who move from elementary school to middle school experience a bigger dip in mathematics and language arts achievement than their K-8 counterparts do, and they tend to be absent more often.

Moreover, the report says, the earlier students move to a middle school, the greater the gap between them and their K-8-attending peers–and that gap only...