Racial/ethnic disparities in grade point averages and absences among 9th graders in Georgia: the role of sleep differences.

Authors

Henok Mulatu Teferi, Gina Marie Mathew, Lauren Hale, Dayna A Johnson, Julie A Gazmararian

Published in

Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Volume 22. Issue 1. Oct 05, 2026. Epub Oct 05, 2026.

Abstract

This study assessed racial/ethnic differences in grade point averages (GPA) and school absences among 9th graders in semi-rural Georgia, USA, and whether sleep duration and chronotype helped explain these differences.
This cross-sectional study of 406 ninth graders from two diverse high schools used counterfactual-based mediation analysis to examine whether sleep duration and chronotype mediated racial/ethnic differences in academic outcomes. Separate mediation models were estimated for GPA and school absences, specifying race/ethnicity as the exposure (Asian, Black, Hispanic, vs. White); sleep measures as mediators (sleep duration and mid-sleep on free days, corrected for sleep debt [MSFsc]) in separate models; and GPA (modeled using linear regression) and absences (modeled using Poisson regression) as outcomes, adjusting for sociodemographic covariates.
Race/ethnicity was significantly associated with GPA and absences in the total effect. Black students had lower GPA (b = -2.70; 95% CI -5.06, -0.42), whereas Asian students had higher GPA (b = 5.46; 95% CI 2.44, 8.10), compared to White students. Asian (RR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.32, 0.78) and Hispanic (RR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.42, 0.78) students were less likely to be absent than White students. Neither sleep duration nor MSFsc significantly mediated racial/ethnic differences in GPA or absences.
Racial/ethnic disparities in adolescent academic performance and absences were observed but were not explained by sleep duration or MSFsc. Longitudinal studies with objective sleep measures are warranted.
Racial/ethnic disparities in academic performance and absenteeism have been documented among adolescents, and sleep is associated with both outcomes; however, it remains unclear whether sleep helps explain these disparities. This study examined whether sleep duration and chronotype mediated racial/ethnic differences in GPA and school absences among ninth-grade students in semi-rural Georgia.
Racial/ethnic differences in GPA and school absences were observed, but neither sleep duration nor chronotype explained these disparities. The findings suggest that factors beyond these sleep measures likely contribute to academic inequities and highlight the need for longitudinal studies using objective sleep assessments.

PMID:
42834269
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 06 Oct 2026.

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