Students with the same test score can have considerably different academic ranks depending on their school peers. Using data from the Mexico City metropolitan area, this column examines how differences relative academic ranks in elementary school affect later cognitive and noncognitive outcomes. Among students with similar third-grade scores, those with higher academic ranks performed better on their high school admission exams. The early ranks also shaped college aspirations and academic self-perceptions. Early academic ranks can be particularly consequential for students with fewer socioeconomic resources.



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