Idstad M, et al. - Applying a prospective cohort design in this study, researchers investigated the educational attainment among Norwegian adults diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss as children compared with a matched control group of people without hearing loss. In all primary schools in Nord-Trøndelag County, children in the first, fourth, and/or seventh grade participated in the School Hearing Investigation in Nord-Trøndelag from 1954 to 1986; in this audiometric screening was performed on children. Further tests were performed on those with positive results by means of pure tone audiometry at 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 kHz with air- and bone-conduction thresholds, as well as a full examination by an ear, nose, and throat specialist. In the present study, a total of 48,606 people participated. These comprised 216 persons classified with moderate-severe hearing loss (41 to 100 dB HL), 293 with mild hearing loss (26 to 40 dB HL), 240 with slight hearing loss (16 to 25 dB HL) and age-matched controls from the Norwegian Health Study, conducted in the same county. The analysis revealed an increase in the educational attainment level, in general, both among people without hearing loss and people with hearing loss, and particularly for women. However, attainment of higher education was reported among 27.5% of people without hearing loss, 18.8% of those with mild hearing loss and 21.3% of those with moderate-severe hearing loss. This indicates the presence of an achievement gap between people without hearing loss and those with hearing loss. They recommend parents, health personnel, institutions for higher education, and policymakers to consider this alike when making plans and policies.