The Effects of English Learner Classification on High School Graduation and College Attendance

Descriptive evidence shows that English learners (ELs) have lower high school graduation and 4-year-college attendance rates than monolingual and fluent English users. Applying the regression discontinuity design to rich administrative data from a large district in California, this study identifies the first causal effects of initial EL classification on high school graduation and college enrollment. I also report the effects of maintaining EL status, or not reclassifying, after testing in each grade between third and eighth grades. I find no statistically significant impact of initial EL classification on high school graduation or college enrollment. Reclassification just before school transition (fifth and eighth grades) significantly affected the probabilities of on-time graduation and, conditional on college attendance, starting at a 4-year university and starting full-time.