Effects of Economic, Social and School Factors on Students Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Kuria West Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

The current global market uses education as the critical parameter in assessing the ability of one to fit in the job market. Since education is crucial to the development of a sustainable environment, reforms are continually undertaken in the sector to ensure better performance. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of economic, social and school-related factors on the academic performance of randomly sampled students from schools in Kuria West sub-county, in Kenya. The study modeled academic performance as dependent on social, economic and school factors guided by education production function theory. In data analysis, a combination of descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used. The study established that household social and economic factors and economic factors influence academic performance of students. The study recommends that policies that help increase household incomes and those that provide support towards scholarships for vulnerable students and construction of spacious classrooms are important for enhancing performance