• Posted August 14, 2026

Pre-K Sets Kids Up For School Success, Study Says

Parents who want their kids to do great at school should get them into pre-kindergarten, a new study suggests.

Children who attend public school pre-K perform better academically through high school compared to kids who stay home with their family, researchers reported recently in the journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly.

The 20-year study found that students who went to pre-K performed better on standardized tests and earned higher grades well into their late teen years.

Public school pre-K programs require teachers to hold a college degree, as opposed to home-based childcare or day care centers, researchers noted. They think that makes the difference.

“It really tests the idea that having better-trained teachers or better curricula actually helps these kids,” researcher Charles Bleiker said in a news release. He’s an associate professor of teaching and learning at Florida International University.

“Critics often say teachers don't need to be highly educated to teach young children, that it’s just babysitting and a waste of money,” Bleiker said. “Our data says otherwise.”

For the new study, researchers tracked 400,000 Miami-Dade County public school students starting in third grade and monitored them through high school.

Results showed that kids who attended pre-K tended to have better grades and test scores throughout elementary and high school. The study also showed they were less likely to be held back a grade.

For example, “students who went to public school pre-K programs had about 35% reduced odds of being retained in third grade compared to those who went to family-based childcare at age 4,” researchers wrote.

These results also challenge the idea that early socialization in a public school setting isn’t important, Bleiker added. Properly trained teachers can help young children start their school rhythm early, setting them up for future success.

“It makes a huge difference if you've been trained,” he said. “Novice teachers without formal training struggle more.

“Some of these were mom-and-pop centers hiring people who aren’t fully qualified to teach,” Bleiker continued. “If a child spends those formative years in time out, watching videos or being herded around, rather than being stimulated, these experiences spill over. They reach kindergarten not ready academically, socially or emotionally.”

Bleiker recommends that parents choosing a pre-K program:

• Look for a stable center where there’s not a lot of frequent teacher turnover.

• Visit potential centers and ask questions about the program, staff and classroom environment.

• Network with other parents to find whether they’re happy with the center they’ve chosen.

• Pay attention to your child’s experience, and consider another center if they’re consistently having troubles.

More information

Rasmussen University has more on the benefits of preschool.

SOURCES: Florida International University, news release, Aug. 11, 2026; Early Childhood Research Quarterly, March 12, 2026