Weather effects on academic performance: an analysis using administrative data

Abstract This paper contributes to the growing body of research examining the impact of temperature on educational outcomes. Utilising national-level administrative data on nearly one million Australian students, it investigates whether temperature fluctuations, and prolonged heatwaves influence test performance. The analysis reveals that both heat and cold affect student test scores, with some evidence of the effects intensifying during heatwaves. Australia’s vast geographical diversity and climate variability provide a unique opportunity to explore spatial heterogeneity in these effects. Findings suggest that in regions with hot weather conditions, the most thermally comfortable temperature is likely to be higher, whereas students in the coldest parts of the country appear to be less sensitive to cold weather conditions, consistent with the adaptation hypothesis. In contrast, in regions with moderate and temperate weather conditions, student scores are affected by both hot and cold weather.