Does School Shutdown Increase Inequality in Academic Performance?Evidence from Covid-19 Pandemic in China

School shutdown due to the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to an increase in education inequality through disproportionately affecting disadvantaged children. We use data from a unique survey of 7,330 junior high school students and their parents from Shaanxi to explore parental socioeconomic status that enlarges the educational gap during the pandemic. Comparing students’ test scores before and after the school shutdown by parental characteristics, we find that parental education rather than parental income causes a wider gap. One year decrease in parental education results in a relative 0.00567 standard deviations lower total test scores after the school shutdown period. We also identify heterogeneous effects by parents’ presence at home. Parents’ education enlarges the educational gap only if parents can stay at home and supervise their children. The importance of parental income arises when parents could not accompany their children during the school shutdown