The Effect of High School Completion on Aboriginal Canadians: Measuring Financial and Health Outcomes

How can we explain the poor Aboriginal high school completion rates in Canada? Is completing high school ‘worth it’ for Aboriginals? Using the Aboriginal Peoples Surveys from 2001 and 2006, this statistical investigation explored the role of financial incentives and health outcomes on high school completion rates for young, urban Aboriginals. First, the labour market returns for completing high school were identified and measured. Significantly higher high school credential effects were determined to exist for Aboriginal females compared to Aboriginal males. The implications of the financial returns to a high school diploma and pathways to post-secondary education are also discussed. Second, effects of high school completion were determined. Results suggested that completing high school lead to a reduction of health conditions in an Aboriginal person’s adult life. Significantly higher health outcome effects were also found to exist for Aboriginal males than females. This paper’s principal finding is that low high school completion rates for Aboriginals cannot be explained by poor financial or health incentives. More research needs to be conducted to explore other channels that could explain the poor education outcomes for this marginalized Canadian sub population.

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Categorised in: Academic Literature