- Greater trust was associated with increased school achievement in mathematics and reading on state assessments used for accountability purposes.
- Social trust reduces transaction costs and thus increases efficiency in the production of outcomes desired.
- School SES, racial composition, and size were indirectly related to achievement through associations with trust.
- Racial and economic disadvantage were not directly related to achievement after controlling for prior achievement and trust.
- The negative relationship between school disadvantage and mathematics and reading achievement seems to be mediated by the level of trust in school.
- Trust relations appear to mediate the relationships between school disadvantage and academic achievement.