Georgia Pre-K Students Outperform Peers Through Middle School, University Study Finds

Poor children who enroll in Georgia pre-K classes are more likely to be successful in their studies through middle school than those who do not attend the state-funded program, according to a new University of Georgia study.

The findings came from a 10-year longitudinal study of 500 children who attended pre-K in the beginning in the 1999-2000 school year.

In the study, researchers Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett, a professor of educational psychology and Cynthia Vail, an associate professor of special education, followed students' progress on academic exams and other benchmark tests up until they reached the ninth grade.

Neuharth-Pritchett and Vail found that children who lived in poverty out-performed their peers who didn't attend a pre-K program in reading and math tests taken in kindergarten and first grade. In elementary and middle school, the same group of children continued to outperform peers in reading and language arts exams.

In addition, pre-K students scored between six to 10 points higher on state achievement exams and were more likely than other children to be promoted to the next grade at the end of each year in elementary and middle school, according to the study.

"These findings add a unique dimension to the literature on comprehensive state pre-kindergarten programs because the data suggests that a state-sponsored intervention can have lasting effects on achievement and other school-related markers," Neuharth-Pritchett said in a University press release.

The research also highlights how Pre-K can be a cost-saver, by eliminating the need for a student to retake an entire grade, Pritchett said.

Earlier this year, the state by shortening the calendar from 180 days to 160 days, and increased class sizes from 20 to 22 students. The current cost per student for pre-K in Georgia is $4,000, down from $5,100 when the program began in 1999, according to Neuharth-Pritchett.