A peer like me? Early exposure to high achievers in math and later educational outcomes

This paper investigates whether exposure to academically gifted peers of the same and opposite gender in primary school (grade 5, at age 10) a ects later academic achievement (grade 8, at age 13) and high-school track choice. For identi cation we exploit random allocation of kids across classes within primary schools. We document that, conditional on primary school xed e ects and grade 8 class xed e ects, as well as on baseline achievement, a higher share of same/oppositegender high-achievers in math in primary school is related, both for boys and girls, to better/worse later math academic achievement in grade 8 and to a higher/lower probability of choosing a scienti c high-school track. We argue that these results are consistent with a role model channel.