Impact of Family Income on Academic Outcomes among Japanese Children

The current study examined the impacts of family income on children’s academic outcomes among Japanese children. Children of 325 Japanese families were identified based on the Japan Household Panel Study and Japan Child Panel Survey. Family income was examined in various aspects: linear family income, income-to-needs ratios, non-linear income-to-needs ratio categories, and poverty and non-poverty. No family income variable was associated with children’s math, reading, and reasoning test scores, except marginal adverse impacts of lower middle-income levels (2nd quartile group) on reading scores. Children’s time spent on academics and family support significantly affected children’s academic outcomes.