The article describes the difference in attention span in preteen boys and girls. It also contains a diachronic review of related scientific publications. The author defined the phenomenon of attention, the factors that affect school performance, and the specifics of attention span in boys and girls. A new diagnostic toolkit with a set of techniques made it possible to assess such indicators as volume, stability, selectivity, distribution, and set-shifting. The research revealed significant gender differences, as well as direct connections between distribution and stability in male participants, while the group of female participants demonstrated reliable correlations between set-shifting and distribution / distribution and selectivity.