Regular Psychological Support and Student Outcomes in Peru

This paper studies the impact of a large-scale randomized program that assigned full-time school psychologists to 465 of 1,000 high-violence public secondary schools in Peru, serving approximately 1.3 million students annually between 2020 and 2025. The program combined structured workshops on violence prevention with individualized counseling and case management.

Using administrative and survey data, we find that the program substantially increased formal violence reporting without changing perceived prevalence of school violence or overall school climate. Treated students report greater access to trusted adults and institutional support, which translates into meaningful improvements in emotional regulation and sense of belonging, particularly among female students. Despite these gains, we find no effects on test scores, grades, or school retention. We document implementation challenges at scale: teachers increased their participation in violence prevention activities but also report lower job satisfaction and fewer available resources, suggesting that additional demands on school staff may have limited the program’s ability to generate academic improvements.