The differential effects of physical activity timing on academic performance between private and public schools
Date
2025-05-29
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Abstract
Research in education and health economics (Montecalbo-Ignacio et al., 2017; Lotfi et al., 2024) points out that physical activity is positively linked to academic performance, primarily through better cognitive functioning. Furthermore, disparities in physical activity
across schools can be understood as a function of investments in spatial, physical, and academic infrastructure. This study aims to examine if underinvestment in public schools can explain differences in academic performance between public and private schools. We
utilized the education production function framework in understanding student behavior in maximizing academic performance (Bowles, 1970). Ordinary least square (OLS) estimates with balanced repeated replication (BRR) were used to regress physical activity categorized as before and after school—on academic performance across the three PISA domains: mathematics, science, and reading, controlling for student- and school-level covariates. We find that physical activity after school is positively correlated with all measures, and there exists a wide disparity between public and private school students. This difference persists even after controlling for other possible investments such as student ESCS, school infrastructure, and student-teacher ratio. We find that the main drivers of academic performance among private school students are well-structured physical activities, higher socio-economic status, and access to academic infrastructures. Policymakers could minimize this academic performance gap by reallocating resources toward improving infrastructure quality and access (both in academic and physical education) in public schools while addressing socio-economic barriers.
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Education, private school, public school