School Socioeconomic Status Context and Social Adjustment in Children.

Social adjustment is critical to educational and occupational attainment. Yet little research has considered how the school's socioeconomic context is associated with social adjustment. In a longitudinal sample of Australian 4- to 8-year-olds (N = 9369; 51% boys) we tested the association between school average socioeconomic status and social skills (parent and teacher reported). Models controlled for age 4 social adjustment and additional covariates. Results showed that children from more advantaged schools are more likely to have better prosocial behavior and fewer peer and conduct problems. An interaction between family and school average socioeconomic status (SES) suggested that this association was mainly present for children from lower SES backgrounds. Public Significance Statement: Socioeconomic status (SES) predicts social skills. Social skills help children form positive relationships with each other and adults. The SES of a school can influence social skills. In many countries and states, the SES level of a school a child goes to depends on the wealth of their parents. High SES schools usually have more resources. We found that children that go to high SES schools have improved social skills. This may be because they can access more resources. High SES schools appeared to be most beneficial for children from low SES backgrounds. The way society determines what child will go to what school may influence the social skills that children develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]