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Racial Differences in the Association Between School Quality and Adult Health: A Nationally Representative
Benjamin P L Meza1, Kevin Hoang2, Christopher Biely3
1UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, 1100 Glendon Ave, Suite 900, Los Angeles, California, 90024, USA. bpmeza@mednet.ucla.edu.
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
|August 3, 2026
Summary
School quality impacts adult health differently across racial groups. For White participants, school factors didn't affect depression, but for Black and Latinx individuals, some indicators were linked to worse mental health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Health Disparities
Background:
- School quality is linked to better health and education.
- Existing research hasn't fully explored racial/ethnic differences in these associations.
- Understanding these disparities is crucial for equitable health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if school quality indicators affect adult health outcomes differently across racial and ethnic groups in the USA.
- To examine associations between specific school quality measures and adult self-rated health and depressive symptoms.
- To identify potential disparities in the impact of school quality on long-term health.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health).
- Analyzed four school quality indicators (promotion rates, teacher retention, attendance, parental involvement) from Wave I (adolescence).
- Assessed adult health outcomes (self-rated health, depressive symptoms) in Wave V (adulthood), stratified by race/ethnicity (White, Black, Latinx).
Main Results:
- School quality indicators were not statistically linked to adult depressive symptoms for White participants.
- Teacher retention was associated with increased depressive symptoms in adulthood for Black and Latinx participants.
- Some conventional school quality indicators correlated with poorer adult mental health for Black and Latinx individuals.
Conclusions:
- The impact of school quality on adult health and mental well-being is not uniform across racial and ethnic groups.
- Findings indicate that certain school quality metrics may negatively affect mental health in minoritized populations.
- Further research is needed to identify school factors that promote positive life course health development for all racial and ethnic groups.
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