What happened
School choice has increased segregation in upper secondary schools, according to a new study from Göteborgs universitet. The differences between schools are now greater than the differences between residential areas. At the upper secondary school Klara teoretiska östra in Stockholm, students describe that the choice of school is also about seeking safety. Sixteen-year-old Omar Alsaed states that young people who grew up in the suburbs and faced racism often feel safer with classmates who share the same experiences.
Our analysis
For thirty years, politicians have sold school choice as freedom. Now, research shows what the market actually does. It sorts young people more harshly than the housing market can manage on its own.
Politicians often speak of integration as a personal responsibility for new Swedes. But when students seek out schools where they avoid facing suspicion and everyday racism, it is called an integration problem. The blame is placed on the young people, not on the system that forces them to choose between safety and equitable resources.
The winners are not the students. The winners are the school corporations turning a profit on a divided school system, and the politicians who avoid having to build a school that works for everyone.
Explained
School choice means that students and parents get to choose their school themselves instead of being automatically placed in the school closest to their home.