High temperature and learning outcomes: Evidence from Ethiopia

What is the impact of high temperatures on human capital accumulation in Sub-Saharan Africa? Rising temperatures, due to climate change, and the role of human capital in driving development make answering this question imperative to understand the long-term impacts of climate change in the world’s most climate vulnerable region. We use data from 2003–2019 for 2.47 million test takers of a national high-stakes high-school leaving exam in Ethiopia to study the impacts of temperature on learning outcomes. We find that high temperatures during the school year leading up to the exam reduce test scores, controlling for temperatures during the exam. Female students appear slightly less affected by heat compared to their male counterparts. We do not find evidence to reject the hypothesis that these effects are driven primarily by within-classroom temperatures rather than indirect effects on agriculture.