State policies split on student retention

States and school districts across the U.S. take sharply different approaches to holding students back a grade. Some, like Hawaii, often wait until ninth grade or later, while others, like Mississippi and Florida, tend to retain students between kindergarten and third grade.

This national divide comes amid growing concern over student performance. More than two dozen states now have laws requiring or allowing schools to retain third graders not reading at grade level, according to an analysis from the Education Commission of the States.

Retention rates decline nationally

Despite these laws, the overall rate of students held back fell across the country. Data from the federal Office for Civil Rights shows less than 2 percent of U.S. students repeated a grade in the 2021-22 school year. That is down from about 3 percent a decade prior.

The data, compiled by Big Local News at Stanford University in partnership with The Hechinger Report, reveals persistent disparities. In every measured year, schools in the South held students back more than any other region. Boys were retained more than girls. Black boys were retained at nearly three times the rate of white boys.

The debate over timing and support

Research on retention offers a mixed picture. Dan Goldhaber, director of the Center for Education Data and Research at the University of Washington, said results can be positive in the short term if retention happens early and is combined with help. "If the retention happens in earlier grades and is combined with help, not just a threat, but some kind of positive intervention, the results, at least in the short-run, tend to be good," Goldhaber said.

There is less proof of benefit for older students. Umut Ozek, a researcher at Rand Corp., said retention in middle and high school leads to worse outcomes. "It leads to higher rates of high school dropouts, less likelihood of high school graduations, and it leads to lower likelihood of enrolling in college," Ozek said.

Case studies: Hawaii and Mississippi

Hawaii exemplifies the high school approach. Roughly 1 in 10 public high school freshmen repeated ninth grade in 2021-22, more than double the national rate for that group. State rules require freshmen to earn five credits, the equivalent of five year-long classes, to advance. Officials say schools work to avoid retention with summer school and counseling, holding students back only on a case-by-case basis.

Mississippi takes the opposite tack. Its 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act mandates retaining third graders who fail the state reading assessment. The policy has had a trickle-down effect, concentrating retentions in kindergarten through second grade as well. In the Western Line School District, 68 students were held back in K-3 in 2021-22, compared to 56 in all other grades combined.

Superintendent Lawrence Hudson said the policy raised the bar. "We know if children have deficits at younger grades, they'll get to third grade with those deficits," he said. Rachel Canter, an expert who helped craft the law, said retention must be paired with intervention. "Any time a child is retained, it is a signal that we have not done what we needed to do as adults," Canter said.

The challenge of providing support

Some educators worry resources for critical support are dwindling. Shana Richards, a school counselor in North Carolina, said stipends for after-school tutoring have dried up and activity buses no longer run. North Carolina holds back more students in ninth grade than any other grade.

Richards helped design a program called "Welcome to the Brotherhood" for incoming ninth graders, targeting Black boys who have the highest retention rates. The program, funded by an NEA Foundation grant, teaches study skills and academic expectations. Richards meets with every student before it begins.