Arts Education and Black and Latinx Student Achievement and Attainment: Evidence from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009

Prior research finds positive associations between arts education and academic achievement and attainment. We explore how arts education may foster cultural affirmation and mitigate some of the academic consequences of racialized exclusion in schools, especially among Black and Latinx students. We hypothesize that Black and Latinx students reap greater academic benefits from completing arts coursework than non-Latinx White students. Findings indicate more pronounced positive associations between arts coursework and GPA for Black students compared to White students. Arts coursework is associated with lower dropout rates to a greater extent among Latinx compared to White students. Statistically significant decreases in the predicted probability of dropout are found for Black and Latinx students who complete more arts coursework. Findings uplift the role of arts education in the academic journeys of Black and Latinx students navigating Eurocentric institutions and the need for further research on Black and Latinx students’ experiences with the arts.