Outcomes of Academic Tracking Among Young Adults in the United States: A Longitudinal Survey Analysis

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, we assess the relationship between track placement in high school and long-term postsecondary and occupational outcomes among young adults in the United States. We find that young adults in the college-prep track are most likely to earn a college degree. Young adults in the vocational are more likely than those in the college-prep track to have a vocational premium for short-term earning levels. Otherwise, those in the vocational premium in earnings are eventually eclipsed by the academic premium. We also find that some personal characteristics, such as race, gender, and social class, intersect with the relationship between track placement and our outcome variables. Our findings have theoretical and practical implications for academic tracking and long-term educational and labor market outcomes.