Single-Sex Schooling and Student Performance: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from South Korea

To obtain reliable estimates of the effects of single-sex education, I exploit the random assignment of students to single-sex and coeducational schools in South Korea. The results suggest that single-sex schooling is beneficial for girls in math, but has no effects for boys. Moreover, comparisons within and across gender reveal that girls with low supporting parental backgrounds at coeducational schools fall behind their peers which is partly explained by a rougher classroom climate at mixed schools. Several robustness checks confirm these results.