12/14/2025
Friendly reminder: Research consistently indicates that grade retention—having a student repeat a grade—does NOT lead to long-term academic or social-emotional gains for children with average cognitive and academic abilities. While some studies suggest there may be short-term improvements in academic performance immediately following retention, these gains typically diminish within a few years. Over the long term, retained students are more likely to experience negative outcomes compared to their promoted peers, including lower academic achievement, decreased self-esteem, increased behavioral problems, and a higher risk of dropping out of school. The consensus in the literature is that retention does not provide lasting academic benefits for students with average abilities and may, in fact, contribute to ADVERSE educational and psychological outcomes.
Grade retention is not an intervention.
