Academic Achievement of Firstborn and Secondborn College Adults: Effects of Birth Order, Birth Spacing, and Childhood Socioeconomic Status

This study examined the impact of birth-spacing and childhood SES on undergraduate academic achievement (Overall GPA, Major GPA, SAT). Birth spacing correlated positively with firstborns’ but not secondborns’ overall GPA and GPA in their major. Secondborns with low but not high childhood SES had lower academic achievement than firstborns.