Participation in Georgia's Pre-K as a Predictor of Third-Grade Standardized Test Scores

Does a prekindergarten education (Pre-K) at age four have an impact on third grade achievement? The authors used propensity score matching to compare third-grade test scores in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies for children who had and had not participated in Georgia's Pre-K program. The results showed that children who participated in Georgia's Pre-K program scored significantly higher in all subjects than those who did not attend Pre-K. The association between attending Pre-K and third grade math scores was stronger for English learners than for non-English learners.