ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Assessment, Testing and Applied Measurement
Exploring the Impact of Socioeconomic and School Factors on Learning Outcomes in Peru: A Spatial Perspective
Provisionally accepted
RENE PAZ PAREDES*
Oliver Amadeo Vilca-Huayta
Roberto Arpi-Mayta
Henry Sucari
ALCIDES HUAMANI PERALTA
Cristóbal Rufino Yapuchura Saico
Massiel Gonzales
CARMEN NIEVEZ QUISPE LINOOmar Rodriguez-LimachiCondori-Palomino Condori-Palomino- Universidad Nacional del Altiplano, Puno, Peru
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This study examines the spatial determinants of student achievement in Peru, focusing on the combined effects of socioeconomic conditions and school resources. Using district-level data for second-grade secondary students and spatial econometric techniques, the analysis identifies significant spatial dependence in learning outcomes, indicating that educational performance in one district is influenced by that of neighboring areas. Socioeconomic factors—such as household socioeconomic index, human development index, and mothers' educational level—along with school inputs, including public investment, infrastructure, and teacher qualifications, are key predictors of academic achievement. Moreover, the results highlight the strong influence of school management type on learning outcomes. Students in private-managed institutions outperform those in public schools by an average of 20.65 points, and higher socioeconomic status further enhances achievement. Gender and geographic disparities persist, as rural and female students perform below their urban and male counterparts. Bilingual education shows a positive association with mathematics performance. Overall, the findings emphasize that improving learning outcomes in Peru requires addressing spatial inequalities and strengthening both socioeconomic and institutional factors through geographically sensitive educational policies.
Keywords: spatial dependency, Achievement, Mathematics, school input, Socioeconomic Factors
Received: 27 Mar 2025; Accepted: 13 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 PAREDES, Vilca-Huayta, Arpi-Mayta, Sucari, HUAMANI PERALTA, Yapuchura Saico, Gonzales, QUISPE LINO, Rodriguez-Limachi and Condori-Palomino. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: RENE PAZ PAREDES, rpparedes@unap.edu.pe
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