Ordinal rank and mental health
An expanding area of research examines whether it is better for students to be among the best students in a relatively low-performance classroom, or in the middle of a high-performing class.
About the project
In this research we examine whether students' position in the grade distribution in elementary schools affect mental health outcomes in the late teens and adulthood, using Swedish population data on all schools and students between 1990 and 1997 and following them until age 40.
Building on earlier work showing that ordinal rank does affect students’ educational achievement and salary earnings as adults, this study extends the analysis to mental health, examining how the school context shapes not just academic trajectories but psychological well-being.