We pair variation stemming from volcanic eruptions with the census of Hawaii’s public schools’ student test scores to estimate the impact of PM2.5 and SOM2 on student performance. Increased particulate pollution decreases test scores. These results are concentrated among schools with the highest long-term average levels of pollution. The effects of PM2.5 are larger for the poorest pupils by a factor of at least three. We demonstrate that poor air quality disproportionately impacts the human capital accumulation of economically disadvantaged children.
