Better schools are remedy for kids in poverty, study finds

High school is an important developmental time for every student, and the quality of the

school a kid attends can make all the difference.

UCLA researchers surveyed about 900 economically disadvantaged students - 500 who went to a charter high school and 400 who went to their regular public school - to see if

either group did better by graduation.

What they found is 91% of students in the charter school graduated compared to just 76% in regular public school. The charter school students skipped school less and performed better in math and English standardized testing.

In addition, while students at charter schools still engaged in some risky behaviors - like drugs, alcohol or risky sex - they had a lower risk of engaging in multiple risky behaviors

simultaneously.

The study suggests that disadvantaged students can improve school performance if given the opportunity to go to a higher quality school

The researchers did not show any difference in the number of students who reported doing one risky activity; the difference was seen only with two or more risky behaviors.