ABSTRACT
SUMMARY. The academic performance of children of divorce was studied through a retrospective longitudinal design. The school records of 234 cnildren of divorce and 223 children from intact families were examined and grades and achievement test scores in English and mathematics were recorded for five consecutive years. The results showed that children of divorce had poorer achievement test scores in the immediate aftermath of divorce. Their grades, on the other hand, did not seem to be adversely affected. By the fifth year following divorce, sex differences were pronounced with divorce adversely affecting the grades and achievement test scores of boys but not girls. The results were discussed in terms of their implications for research on divorce and academic performance as well as research on divorce and children in general.
