Socioeconomic and Indigenous school segregation in Australia: The role of institutional differentiation and fees

Abstract School segregation is an international problem undermining the performance and equity of education systems. Australia's secondary schooling system offers international insights into the causes of segregation owing to it being one of the most segregated in the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development, its long history of school competition and privatisation, and a lack of government regulation of the fees, enrolment and exclusion policies of private schools. This study examines the role of institutional differentiation and school fees in the uneven enrolment of low socioeconomic status (SES) and Indigenous students within geographical areas over which school choice is a viable option. We found that no secondary school sector was representative of the Australian secondary student population and that there was substantial variation in segregation between states and territories. States and territories with lower rates of Catholic, independent and selective schools have lower levels of segregation. Indigenous students were doubly segregated into schools with high concentrations of low SES students. School segregation varied between geographical areas with the degree of institutional differentiation, and this was partially accounted for by school fees. Independent, Catholic and selective schools contributed to the segregation of low SES students while independent and Catholic schools contributed to the segregation of Indigenous students. Policy reform options include improving the funding and political support for government schools and raising the accountability of government‐funded schools for the enrolment of low SES and Indigenous students. This study has relevance in the international comparison of causes and potential reforms of school segregation.