The Effects of Divorce and Remarriage on the Academic Achievement of High School Seniors

Abstract Divorce and remarriage rates in the United States have climbed at an astounding rate during the past several decades. Consequences of this change in family structure have impacted millions of children in a variety of ways. This study assessed the impact of divorce and remarriage in relation to student's academic achievement. Two hypotheses were introduced reflecting expectations suggested by previous studies. High school seniors from a middle class school in a Rocky Mountain State served as the population for this study. The results suggest that family structure impacts both the grade point average and attendance of high school students. Adolescents from intact families outperform students from other family structures. The differences between students from single-parent families and remarried families were less clear. However, what was clear was that results were most pronounced for females. Females were more negatively impacted by family structures resulting from divorce and remarriage than were males.