๐ Key takeaways
- A lot.
- School builds vocabulary, reasoning habits, knowledge and the very skills IQ tests sample, while teaching abstract, test-style thinking.
- Rising scores across the 20th century track expanding and improving education, strong evidence that environment shapes measured intelligence.
- Investing in quality education is one of the most reliable ways to raise a populationโs measured cognitive ability.
How much does schooling matter?
A lot. Studies using school cut-off dates and interrupted schooling show that more education directly raises IQ โ by a few points per year.
Why does it work?
School builds vocabulary, reasoning habits, knowledge and the very skills IQ tests sample, while teaching abstract, test-style thinking.
What does the Flynn effect add?
Rising scores across the 20th century track expanding and improving education, strong evidence that environment shapes measured intelligence.
What is the implication?
Investing in quality education is one of the most reliable ways to raise a populationโs measured cognitive ability.
๐งญ Explore Intelligence
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Last updated: 2026-06-18 ยท โ Reviewed by the All-Lifes editorial team ยท About ยท Methodology