School Ethnic Composition and Aspirations of Immigrant Students in Belgium

  1. The likelihood of planning to finish high school was significantly related to school ethnic composition: this likelihood was twice as high in low ethnic concentration schools compared to high concentration schools. There was no significant difference between high concentration and medium concentration schools.
  2. The SES context of the school was associated with students’ intentions to finish high school irrespective of their individual SES. Besides these SES variables, the intention to finish high school was associated with parental support and with gender. Native born girls were more likely

    to intend to finish high school than native born boys. This gender difference was not found for immigrant students.

  3. Immigrant students in high concentration immigrant schools tend to aspire to finish high school and move on to higher education slightly more than those attending medium concentration schools (20-50% immigrant students).
  4. All else being equal, high ethnic concentration schools have no unfavorable effect on the graduation aspirations of immigrant students. Quite the reverse: students’ chances of intending to finish school were about 37% smaller in medium concentration schools than in high concentration schools. Native students’ graduation aspirations are not significantly associated with ethnic school composition.
  5. An increase in SES context of one standard deviation increased the immigrant students’ likelihood of planning for higher education by about 54% and the native students’ likelihood of planning for higher education by about 86%.
  6. For immigrant students, a culture of futility was significantly related both to planning on finishing high school and planning for higher education. All other features being equal, an increase in culture of futility of one standard deviation decreased the likelihood of planning to finish high school by 24% and the likelihood of aspiring to higher education by 28%.
  7. Native born students’ aspirations were not significantly associated with culture of futility.
  8. The main conclusion is that high concentration schools are not necessarily detrimental for students’ educational aspirations.
  9. The classroom count of free lunch status is negatively associated with reading and math scores.