The Impact of Extracurricular Activities on Middle School Student’s Academic Achievement and Attendance

The purpose of this research was to determine if participation in extracurricular activities affected student attendance and achievement in a middle school in the Midwest. Specifically, the study looked at students who were involved in extracurricular activities, academic achievement and attendance compared to students who were not involved in extracurricular activities, academic achievement and attendance. Forty one male and female middle school (8th grade) students were used in this study. The participants completed a questionnaire on their participation in Fall extracurricular activities. The subject’s grades and attendance were obtained by weekly grade and attendance checks. Data collected from the survey and weekly attendance and grade checks were analyzed and interpreted to better understand the correlation between extracurricular activities and attendance and student achievement. When comparing the students involved in extracurricular activities to the students who were not involved in extracurricular activities, the students who were involved had higher relative achievement scores as well as a lower number of school days missed.