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The existence of a gap in academic achievement between males and females was studied using data from the National Longitudinal Study (NLS), the High School & Beyond (HSB), and the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), surveys that represent the high school graduating classes of 1972, 1980, and 1992 respectively. The effects of gender on school-related outcomes were studied for students who attended a full 3 or 4 years of high school. The entire analyses treated the gender gap as the dependent variable. There is no evidence for a one-way gender gap favoring males beyond 1992 in public secondary schools. As of 1992, females possess a significant advantage on most central educational outcome indicators. These results suggest that broad nationwide efforts to bring about gender equity in schools has been effective. Boys, rather than girls, are now on the short end of the gender gap in many secondary school outcomes. (Contains 43 references.) (SLD) * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document.