From Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools by Richard A Holmgren, Ph.D.Girls attending all-girls schools are more likely to have an experience that supports their learning than are girls attending coed schools (independent and public). In particular,
students at all-girls schools report:
1. Having higher aspirations and greater motivation.
2. Being challenged to achieve more.
3. Engaging more actively in the learning process.
4. Participating in activities that prepare them for the world outside of school.
5. Feeling more comfortable being themselves and expressing their ideas.
From Girls, Boys, and High Achievers by Cools, Fernandez and Patacchini and summarized in the Cornell Chronicle
Teenage girls do worse in their education, careers and social lives when they have more high-achieving boys in their classes, according to a new study by two Cornell economists. They report that girls with high-achieving male peers (as in co-ed schools):
1. Seem to have lower self-confidence and are more engaged in risky behavior.
2. Become less self-confident about their own ability in traditionally male-dominated fields.
3. Are more likely to complete vocational or associate degrees, rather than bachelor’s degrees.
Summary: Girls are more likely to get bachelor’s degrees and get better grades in school if they are exposed to high-achieving female peers.