Academic rank, socioeconomic rank, and educational outcomes: longitudinal evidence from Chile

Whilst a growing literature has documented the link between academic rank and educational progression, the effect of socioeconomic rank on these outcomes has been largely neglected. Using longitudinal data and exploiting the idiosyncratic variation in test score distributions across secondary school classes, I analyze the impact of within-class academic and socioeconomic rank on educational outcomes in Chile. I show that being relatively advantaged (socioeconomically or academically) compared to one's classmates leads to a greater likelihood of positive educational progression outcomes. Results suggest socioeconomic rank is not simply proxying the influence of within-class academic rank on young people's educational progression.