Public and Private School Grade Inflation Patterns in Secondary Education

Silva Pedro Luís (), DesJardins Stephen L. (), Biscaia Ricardo (), Sá Carla () and Teixeira Pedro N. ()
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Silva Pedro Luís: Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies (CIPES), Matosinhos, Portugal
DesJardins Stephen L.: Marsal Family School of Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Biscaia Ricardo: Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies (CIPES), Matosinhos, Portugal
Sá Carla: Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies (CIPES), Matosinhos, Portugal
Teixeira Pedro N.: Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies (CIPES), Matosinhos, Portugal

The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 2025, vol. 25, issue 2, 305-342

Abstract: We examine the extent of grade inflation in courses taken during high school and how such differences vary across student and school characteristics. Using administrative data, we assess grade inflation in Portuguese high schools over a decade. We propose a relative measure of grade inflation, comparing students’ high school grades to their national exam ranks. Examining various school types, we find that private schools tend to inflate grades more than their public school peers, particularly at the top of the ability distribution. A regional disaggregation indicates that the northern districts exhibit higher probabilities of grade inflation.

Keywords: grade inflation; grading standards; high school grading; postsecondary access equity; upper secondary education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 I23 I24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1515/bejeap-2024-0136

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