Research tells us it’s for a variety of reasons, but most notably, it’s that students at girls’ schools have an unlimited number of STEM role models. Research findings note it’s beneficial and powerful for girls, in particular, “to see it in order to be it.” So when every student in advanced calculus and physics or on the esports team is a girl, then every other girl at the school gets the clear message they can excel in those areas.

This power of peer role modeling is a primary reason why girls’ schools are producing such disproportionately larger numbers of women in the sciences.