Patterns of School Segregation in Europe

This policy brief is based on the Analytical Report on Patterns of School Segregation in Europe.

How to allocate students to schools is an important policy question since it may have consequences for both economic efficiency and equity. Using data from PISA, we show that in Europe, school segregation varies substantially, which partly reflects differences in education policies and demographic profiles. Countries with comprehensive school systems have fewer differences in the composition of students across schools than do those that stream students earlier. Residence-based admission is associated with lower school segregation, while students are more unevenly distributed in countries with selective admission. School segregation also feeds into performance gaps between schools, both within and between streaming regimes.