Did Migrant Children Benefit from a Delay in the Dutch Primary School Exit Test?

This paper evaluates whether educational outcomes of first-generation migrant children improved relative to those of natives after a policy change which delayed an important primary school exit test by three months. Using Dutch register data and a difference-in-differences methodology, we show that the policy change increased the academic rank of migrants relative to natives upon first enrollment. The policy change, therefore, has had an important positive effect on the educational chances of migrant children. Our analyses suggest that the results are driven by higher relative exit test scores and higher relative teacher recommendations.