ABSTRACT
Using data which follow the educational trajectories of students during secondary education and measure health status during adulthood, this paper analyzes the effects of private schooling on a range of unhealthy lifestyle outcomes. To account for the non-random selection of students in French private schools I use propensity score matching. I find a positive effect of private schooling on the self-reported health status of girls and a negative effect for boys. These results are related to those on risky behaviours: I find that enrolment in a private school reduces the likelihood of daily smoking for girls, but increases the likelihood of drinking multiple times a week for boys, twelve years after sixth grade. A set of robustness checks confirms the robustness of my results.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 In this article I only consider private school under contract with the state that enrolled 98% of students in French private schools (MENJ – DEPP Citation2020).
2 The dependent variables used in this article are variables representing lifestyle (see Fayissa and Gutema Citation2005; Grossman Citation1972, Citation1999). They are considered in Grossman (Citation1972, Citation1999) as inputs for health.
3 Panel d'élèves du second degré, recrutement 1995, 1995-2011, DEPP - Ministère de l’Éducation [producer], ADISP-CMH [distributor].
4 Enquête sur l’entrée dans la vie adulte des élèves entrés en 6ème en 1995 (EVA), 2005-2012, INSEE [producer], ADISP [distributor].
5 It should be noted that in the United States, Catholic schools are known to have an environment associated with strong discipline (Figlio and Ludwig Citation2012; Mocan and Tekin Citation2006).
6 See for example Xue, Cheng, and Zhang (Citation2021).