Scientific Articles

[1] Gutiérrez, G., Jerrim, J., & Torres, R. (2020). School segregation across the world: Has any progress been made in reducing the separation of the rich from the poor?. The Journal of Economic Inequality, 18(2), 157-179.

[2] Reardon, S. F., Weathers, E. S., Fahle, E. M., Jang, H., & Kalogrides, D. (2024). Is separate still unequal? New evidence on school segregation and racial academic achievement gaps. American Sociological Review, 89(6), 971-1010.

Explanation of the Post

Yes, and it is still a serious issue in many education systems. Despite years of educational reforms and policies aimed at reducing inequality, socioeconomic segregation between schools remains widespread and largely unchanged.

International data from the OECD, based on several waves of the PISA assessment, shows that segregation between schools has barely shifted between 2000 and 2015 [1]. While there are differences between countries, the general trend is clear. Nordic countries such as Finland, Norway and Sweden tend to have lower levels of segregation, whereas countries like Hungary, Mexico or Chile show much higher levels [1]. What is especially striking is that even major events like the 2008 economic crisis, along with numerous policy efforts, did not significantly reduce segregation in most education systems during this period.

This matters because segregation is not just a statistical issue — it directly affects students’ educational experiences and outcomes. Research carried out in the United States suggests that schools with a high concentration of low-income students tend to see achievement gaps increase over time [2]. In more segregated school systems, these gaps grow faster, not because of students’ racial backgrounds alone, but because minority students are more likely to attend schools with high levels of poverty. This dynamic is often described as “racial economic segregation” [2].

Further studies support this idea. When looking at different forms of segregation across U.S. metropolitan areas, the difference in poverty levels between the schools attended by white and Black students emerges as one of the strongest predictors of achievement gaps [3]. In practice, this suggests that high-poverty schools often offer less favourable learning conditions. One important factor behind this is unequal access to experienced and well-qualified teachers, which explains a significant part of the growing achievement gap in segregated systems [2].

Although these findings are mainly based on the U.S. context and may not apply in exactly the same way everywhere, the international evidence points to a broader conclusion. Socioeconomic segregation in schools is a deep-rooted structural problem that has proven resistant to policy change. Addressing educational inequality, therefore, may require more ambitious and long-term strategies that go beyond small-scale reforms and actively promote socioeconomic diversity within schools.

Other sources

[3] Reardon, S. F. (2016). School segregation and racial academic achievement gaps. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2(5), 34-57.