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This study examines the development of educational equity and school segregation in Sweden over the past three decades. It further explores whether and how school socioeconomic and ethnic compositions influence educational equity over time. Educational equity is assessed through the relationship between students’ family socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds and their academic outcomes, while school segregation is evaluated based on between-school differences in socioeconomic status (SES), ethnic composition, and average achievement levels. Data from the Gothenburg educational longitudinal database, covering Swedish register data of all students in compulsory education between 1988 and 2020, was used to facilitate the current analyses. Applying random intercept and random slope model, the findings indicate a widening achievement gap between native-born students and those with migration backgrounds, alongside increased between-school disparities in SES, ethnic composition, and academic achievement. These findings highlight an intensified inequity and segregation in the Swedish education system. Interestingly, while segregation by SES has intensified, the previously negative effects of the proportion of migrant students on school average academic achievement have diminished in recent years. Moreover, the study found that school SES and ethnic compositions moderate educational equity, suggesting that schools have gradually lost their compensatory ability and instead contribute to educational inequity. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of the school reforms and policy changes, which underscore the urgent need for targeted policy interventions and comprehensive strategies that promote equity.
Hansen et al. (Fri,) studied this question.