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Washington State Institute for Public Policy
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Project SUCCESS

Public Health & Prevention: School-based
Benefit-cost methods last updated December 2024.  Literature review updated May 2020.
Project SUCCESS is a school-based prevention program that focuses on high-risk adolescents, typically in alternative high schools. The program’s four components include 1) eight sessions of prevention education provided in small groups by a professional counselor; 2) individual and group counseling for selected student; 3) communications with parents; and 4) referrals to community agencies. A program counselor is situated in the school throughout the academic year.
 
ALL
BENEFIT-COST
META-ANALYSIS
CITATIONS
For an overview of WSIPP's Benefit-Cost Model, please see this guide. The estimates shown are present value, life cycle benefits and costs. All dollars are expressed in the base year chosen for this analysis (2023).  The chance the benefits exceed the costs are derived from a Monte Carlo risk analysis. The details on this, as well as the economic discount rates and other relevant parameters are described in our Technical Documentation.
Benefit-Cost Summary Statistics Per Participant
Benefits to:
Taxpayers ($261) Benefits minus costs ($1,097)
Participants ($345) Benefit to cost ratio ($4.63)
Others ($135) Chance the program will produce
Indirect ($160) benefits greater than the costs 39%
Total benefits ($902)
Net program cost ($195)
Benefits minus cost ($1,097)

^WSIPP’s benefit-cost model does not monetize this outcome.

Meta-analysis is a statistical method to combine the results from separate studies on a program, policy, or topic to estimate its effect on an outcome. WSIPP systematically evaluates all credible evaluations we can locate on each topic. The outcomes measured are the program impacts measured in the research literature (for example, impacts on crime or educational attainment). Treatment N represents the total number of individuals or units in the treatment group across the included studies.

An effect size (ES) is a standard metric that summarizes the degree to which a program or policy affects a measured outcome. If the effect size is positive, the outcome increases. If the effect size is negative, the outcome decreases. See Estimating Program Effects Using Effect Sizes for additional information on how we estimate effect sizes.

The effect size may be adjusted from the unadjusted effect size estimated in the meta-analysis. Historically, WSIPP adjusted effect sizes to some programs based on the methodological characteristics of the study. For programs reviewed in 2024 or later, we do not make additional adjustments, and we use the unadjusted effect size whenever we run a benefit-cost analysis.

Research shows the magnitude of effects may change over time. For those effect sizes, we estimate outcome-based adjustments, which we apply between the first time ES is estimated and the second time ES is estimated. More details about these adjustments can be found in our Technical Documentation.

Meta-Analysis of Program Effects
Outcomes measured Treatment age No. of effect sizes Treatment N Effect sizes (ES) and standard errors (SE) used in the benefit-cost analysis Unadjusted effect size (random effects model)
First time ES is estimated Second time ES is estimated
ES SE Age ES SE Age ES p-value
Substance use^
Nonspecified substance use (i.e., alcohol, cannabis, or illicit drugs) that does not rise to the level of "disordered."
 17 1 161 -0.006 0.321 17 n/a n/a n/a -0.020 0.951
Smoking before end of high school
Any smoking of tobacco by the end of high school, typically between ages 14 and 18.
 17 2 896 -0.001 0.049 17 -0.001 0.049 18 -0.003 0.952
Alcohol use before end of high school
Any use of alcohol by the end of high school, typically between ages 14 and 18.
17 1 735 0.015 0.049 17 0.015 0.049 18 0.015 0.757
Cannabis use before end of high school
Any use of cannabis by the end of high school, typically between ages 14 and 18.
17 1 735 0.000 0.049 17 0.000 0.049 18 0.000 1.000
Illicit drug use before end of high school
Any use of illicit drugs by the end of high school, typically between ages 14 to 18. When possible, we exclude cannabis/marijuana use disorder from this outcome.
 17 1 735 0.030 0.049 17 0.030 0.049 18 0.030 0.537
1In addition to the outcomes measured in the meta-analysis table, WSIPP measures benefits and costs estimated from other outcomes associated with those reported in the evaluation literature. For example, empirical research demonstrates that high school graduation leads to reduced crime. These associated measures provide a more complete picture of the detailed costs and benefits of the program.

2“Others” includes benefits to people other than taxpayers and participants. Depending on the program, it could include reductions in crime victimization, the economic benefits from a more educated workforce, and the benefits from employer-paid health insurance.

3“Indirect benefits” includes estimates of the net changes in the value of a statistical life and net changes in the deadweight costs of taxation.
Detailed Monetary Benefit Estimates Per Participant
Affected outcome: Resulting benefits:1 Benefits accrue to:
Taxpayers Participants Others2 Indirect3 Total
Alcohol use before end of high school Criminal justice system ($7) $0 ($16) ($3) ($26)
Labor market earnings associated with alcohol abuse or dependence ($145) ($342) $0 $0 ($487)
Property loss associated with alcohol abuse or dependence $0 $0 ($1) $0 ($1)
Mortality associated with alcohol $0 $0 $0 ($3) ($3)
Smoking before end of high school Labor market earnings associated with smoking $6 $14 $0 $0 $21
Health care associated with smoking $2 $1 $2 $1 $6
Mortality associated with smoking $0 $0 $0 $1 $1
Illicit drug use before end of high school Health care associated with illicit drug abuse or dependence ($117) ($18) ($120) ($59) ($314)
Program cost Adjustment for deadweight cost of program $0 $0 $0 ($97) ($97)
Totals ($261) ($345) ($135) ($160) ($902)
Click here to see populations selected
Detailed Annual Cost Estimates Per Participant
Annual cost Year dollars Summary
Program costs $155 2013 Present value of net program costs (in 2023 dollars) ($195)
Comparison costs $0 2013 Cost range (+ or -) 20%
Project SUCCESS takes place within a single school year. To calculate a per-student cost, we use average compensation costs (including benefits) for a counselor as reported by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, divided by the number of students in a prototypical high school. The estimate also includes training costs available at the developer’s website (http://www.sascorp.org/CurrentFiles/SUCCESS_Order_Form.pdf)
The figures shown are estimates of the costs to implement programs in Washington. The comparison group costs reflect either no treatment or treatment as usual, depending on how effect sizes were calculated in the meta-analysis. The cost range reported above reflects potential variation or uncertainty in the cost estimate; more detail can be found in our Technical Documentation.
Benefits Minus Costs
Benefits by Perspective
Taxpayer Benefits by Source of Value
Benefits Minus Costs Over Time (Cumulative Discounted Dollars)
The graph above illustrates the estimated cumulative net benefits per-participant for the first fifty years beyond the initial investment in the program. We present these cash flows in discounted dollars. If the dollars are negative (bars below $0 line), the cumulative benefits do not outweigh the cost of the program up to that point in time. The program breaks even when the dollars reach $0. At this point, the total benefits to participants, taxpayers, and others, are equal to the cost of the program. If the dollars are above $0, the benefits of the program exceed the initial investment.

Citations Used in the Meta-Analysis

Clark, H.K., Ringwalt, C.L., Hanley, S., Shamblen, S.R., Flewelling, R.L., & Hano, M.C. (2010). Project SUCCESS' effects on the substance use of alternative high school students. Addictive Behaviors, 35(3), 209-217.

Morehouse, E.R., & Tobler, N.S. (2000). Project SUCCESS final report: Grant number 4 HD1 SP07240. Report submitted January 26, 2000, to the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.