Global Trends in Socio-Economic Segregation between Schools, 1964-2015

Recent research shows that socio-economic segregation between schools (“school SES segregation”) is increasing in the United States, Chile and Sweden, raising concerns about declining equality of opportunity and social cohesion. It is unknown whether similar trends may be occurring in other countries. On the one hand, de-tracking reforms (delaying the age of selection into academically- and vocationally-tracked schools) in many European countries may have reduced school SES segregation. On the other hand, recent global trends such as rising school choice and privatization and rising residential segregation tied to income inequality, urbanization and migration may be increasing school SES segregation. This paper draws on 30 different international large-scale assessments to examine long-term international trends in school SES segregation and the possible causes of those trends. The assessments represent 100 countries and about 5.8 million primary and secondary school students. Socio-economic status (SES) is measured in terms of parental education, parental occupation and/or the number of books in the household. Results indicate that school SES segregation has been remarkably persistent over the past 50 years. Despite de-tracking reforms, the international average level of school segregation by parent education and by parent occupation was about the same in 2015 as in 1964, and school segregation by household books was nearly as high in 2015 as 1964. Fixed effects models show that de-tracking reforms are indeed associated with declining school SES segregation. However, increasing educational access is associated with increasing segregation. In addition, declining fertility rates and declining school size are associated with increasing segregation. This suggests that smaller families with more time and money per child, coupled with the fragmentation of the school-age population into smaller schools, may be intensifying processes of school and neighbourhood choice.