Study of the Impact of Pre-School Attendance Duration on Primary School Academic Performance in Anambra State

The duration of pre-school attendance is hypothesised to have a cumulative positive effect on primary school academic performance, and examining this relationship in Anambra State provides evidence for ECD investment prioritisation in South East Nigeria. This study examined the relationship between pre-school attendance duration and academic performance in the first year of primary school among 300 primary one pupils in Awka South and Idemili South Local Government Areas, Anambra State. A retrospective correlational design was employed, with pre-school attendance duration recorded from enrolment records and academic performance measured using end-of-first-term examination scores across literacy, numeracy, and social skills assessments. Pearson correlation and regression analysis were applied. Pre-school attendance duration showed a significant positive correlation with first-term academic performance overall (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). Each additional year of pre-school attendance was associated with a 12.4 percent increase in combined academic score. The literacy domain showed the strongest duration effect. Children with three years of pre-school attendance significantly outperformed those with one year or none across all academic domains. Socioeconomic status moderated the relationship, with the strongest attendance-performance effects observed among lower-income households. The study concludes that longer pre-school attendance significantly enhances primary school academic performance in Anambra State. Recommendations include extending free government pre-school provision to a minimum of two years, incentivising early enrolment, and documenting ECD attendance in national school data systems. Keywords: pre-school attendance, primary school performance, Anambra State, ECD duration, academic readiness