Working Papers,
Stockholm School of Economics, Center for Educational Leadership and Excellence

Abstract: This paper studies how students’ relative academic rank in compulsory school affects entry into the teaching profession. Using population-wide Swedish administrative data, we link grade-9 GPA for cohorts attending grade 9 in 1990–1997 to detailed occupational outcomes observed at age 40. We measure relative position as within-school–cohort GPA rank and estimate rank effects by exploiting variation in ordinal position among students with similar absolute achievement. The empirical design includes school-by-cohort fixed effects and controls for absolute ability via national GPA-rank indicators interacted with grading-environment (school-type) measures, along with family background controls. We find that lower-ranked students are more likely to become teachers, but the pattern differs across teaching segments: low local rank predicts entry into compulsory and upper-secondary teaching, while very high local rank predicts university teaching; there is no clear relationship for pre-school teaching. Effects are concentrated among women and are strongest for women in high-achieving schools. Results are robust to alternative specifications. The findings highlight relative academic standing as an important, previously overlooked determinant of occupational choice into teaching.

Keywords: Educational inequality; Teaching profession; Occupational choice; School position; Reference groups; Relative deprivation; Sweden

28 pages, February 6, 2026

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