I examine the effects of education on health in Indonesia using
an exogenous variation in education induced by an extension
of Indonesia’s school term length in 1978-1979, a natural
experiment that fits a regression discontinuity design. I find
the longer school year increases educational attainment and
wages, but I do not find evidence that education improves
health. I explore some mechanisms through which education
may affect health, but education does not seem to promote
healthy lifestyles, increase the use of modern healthcare
services, or improve access to health insurance; if anything,
education improves only cognitive capacity.