According to a study conducted by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, students who attend church tend to have a .144 higher grade-point average than students who do not attend services.

Joe Graves, superintendent of the Mitchell School District and a Roman Catholic deacon, said the study makes sense. While Graves said church attendance isn’t a “litmus test” for how a child will do in school, he does see the connection between church attendance and academic performance. “I think when you have that sense of faith, you have a sense that you are here for a purpose. You are here, in some sense, for serving,” Graves said. “In order to maximize what God’s given you, you’ve got to pursue things in your life that will make you better prepared to do so.”

Maybe this should go into your next youth ministry newsletter to parents. Read the whole article here.