A meta-analytic review of the associations among discrimination types and student-level school performance indicators

This meta-analysis synthesised associations between multiple forms and sources of discrimination and student-level indicators of school performance. The review included 78 correlational studies, 95 independent samples, and 48,363 participants. Multiple effects from the same sample were aggregated to address dependency, and outcomes were analysed separately using random-effects models. Findings showed that discrimination was negatively associated with academic achievement (r = −.099) and school engagement (r = −.18). The association with academic achievement varied by publication period, whereas the association with school engagement varied by discrimination type, with larger negative estimates for school- and teacher-based discrimination. Discrimination was also negatively associated with enrolment and graduation, but not significantly with attendance, absenteeism, or dropout. These latter findings were based on few independent effects and require cautious interpretation. Overall, discrimination was consistently associated with poorer academic achievement and school engagement, while evidence for other indicators of school performance remains limited.