Socio-Economic Segregation Between Schools in Canada

Abstract

Canada’s level of socio-economic segregation or sorting between schools—the extent to which students of different socio-economic status (SES) attend different schools—is low by international standards. However, this overall level may mask inter-provincial differences in segregation. Provinces have strikingly different school choice policies, which may affect segregation levels. We estimate segregation in each province using seven cycles of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2000-2018). We find that segregation is highest in Quebec and lowest in the Maritimes provinces. Correlational and decomposition analyses suggest high segregation in Quebec may be driven by private school enrolment.