Social Origin and Institutional Context in Educational Trajectories

Evidence on Access to the Academic Path from the Swiss Tracked System

Abstract

This article questions the extent to which social origin, school context, and lower secondary track attendance affect access to the Gymnasium, or general baccalaureate, in Switzerland. Using data from the second TREE cohort, we show that unequal Gymnasium access results from not only differences in social origin, but also from the structuring effect of early tracking and from school context. In addition, students from different social origins benefit equally from school track attendance and school context.