Summary: Children born between 37 and 41 weeks of gestation may show measurable differences in school performance by age nine. This study found that longer gestation within the term range was linked to higher teacher ratings in mathematics, language and literacy, social studies, and science. Notably, children born at 41 weeks tended to score better across subjects, with the clearest advantage in mathematics.
Source: Rutgers University
New research indicates that even among infants born at term, the exact week of gestation can influence later academic performance. The study reports an association between gestational age at term and above-average teacher rankings in multiple core subjects at age nine.
Published in Pediatrics, the analysis examined teacher-reported academic outcomes for 1,405 nine-year-old children from a national U.S. birth cohort. Researchers compared performance in mathematics, science and social studies, and language and literacy for children born at 37 through 41 weeks’ gestation. Across the board, longer gestational age was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of above-average teacher ratings.
The study identified a consistent pattern: children born at early term (37–38 weeks) tended to have lower teacher ratings in some areas, while children born at late term (41 weeks) tended to have higher ratings compared with those born at the typical term window (39–40 weeks). The association was particularly notable for mathematics, where late-term birth (41 weeks) was linked with improved outcomes.
Nancy E. Reichman, professor of pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Child Health Institute of New Jersey and one of the study authors, emphasized that these findings underscore the clinical and public health relevance of gestational age, even within the conventional term period. She called for more comprehensive data collection and further research to strengthen the evidence base, especially in the United States, where studies linking gestational age to long-term educational outcomes are limited.
The researchers adjusted their analyses for child sex, maternal characteristics, and obstetric risk factors and delivery complications. The observed positive associations between gestational age and academic outcomes did not appear to be explained by neonatal morbidity, suggesting that the relationships are not solely driven by early medical complications.
Reichman noted that while the research did not directly evaluate the effects of obstetric interventions or induction of labor, the association between later term gestation and improved academic performance is relevant when clinicians and families consider elective deliveries before labor begins. She cautioned, however, that current evidence remains limited and it would be premature to change national recommendations—which already advise waiting until at least 39 weeks for elective delivery—based on this single study.
The study team included Amanda Hedges (then a neonatology fellow at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School) and economists from Rider University and Princeton University, collaborating to analyze education-related outcomes in a birth-cohort dataset.
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Source: Rutgers University
Contact: Jennifer Forbes – Rutgers University
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Original Research: Closed access. “Gestational Age at Term and Educational Outcomes at Age Nine” by Amanda Hedges, Hope Corman, Kelly Noonan and Nancy E. Reichman. Pediatrics
Abstract
Gestational Age at Term and Educational Outcomes at Age Nine
OBJECTIVES To estimate associations between gestational age (GA) and teacher-reported academic outcomes at age nine years among children born at term (37–41 weeks).
METHODS This study conducted a secondary data analysis of 1,405 children from a national U.S. birth cohort. At age nine, teachers rated students in mathematics, science and social studies, and language and literacy. Researchers used unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models to examine associations between gestational age and teacher-reported academic outcomes and explored whether neonatal morbidities could explain observed relationships.
RESULTS A continuous measure of gestational age in weeks was significantly associated with above-average rankings across all subject areas. In a model adjusting for child sex, maternal characteristics, obstetric risk factors, and delivery complications, the odds ratios were similar across outcomes: mathematics (OR: 1.13; CI: 1.02–1.25), science and social studies (OR: 1.13; CI: 1.01–1.26), and language and literacy (OR: 1.16; CI: 1.05–1.28). Additional analyses indicated a positive association between late term (41 weeks) and mathematics, and a negative association between early term (37–38 weeks) and language and literacy, relative to term (39–40 weeks). The associations did not appear to function through neonatal morbidity.
CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the importance of gestational age even among term infants. Current guidelines generally recommend waiting until at least 39 weeks for elective delivery when possible; this study adds to a limited but growing body of evidence suggesting that gestational age through 41 weeks may be linked to modest improvements in certain educational outcomes. The authors recommend additional research using richer data sources to confirm and expand on these results and to help inform clinical decision-making and public health recommendations.