School starting age and long‐run health in the United States

Summary School starting age has been shown to have long‐run effects that persist throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Using variation from state‐level school starting age laws in the United States, we find that males who are older when they enter school are more likely to have higher levels of self‐reported health later in life. We are largely able to rule out education and labor market outcomes as significant channels for this finding. Building from the previous studies that have found conflicting evidence on the effect of school starting age on educational attainment and labor market outcomes in the United States, we find that school starting age decreases the likelihood of high school completion among males but has no significant effect for females. We do not find that labor market outcomes are affected by school starting age.