A comparison of school performance and behaviors among working and nonworking high school students

To evaluate the effect of after-school employment on Grade Point Average, absenteeism, school tardiness, extracurricular activities, and class-cutting, a cross-sectional anonymous questionnaire was completed by 7,506 high school students in May 2002. Working students did not report lower grades, higher absenteeism, or more school tardiness than their nonworking peers. However, students who worked were significantly more likely to cut classes and not take part in extracurricular activities than were students who were not employed. Factors associated with lower Grade Point Average among working students included working before 8:00 Am (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.18-2.52), being injured at work (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.10-1.96), and feeling that the job was more important than school (AOR = 2.74, 95% CI = 2.08-3.6o).