The Danish school system is based on a general belief in the quality and merits of public schooling. Until 20 years ago, more than 90% of all children attended public school. However, this trend has recently seen a decline because of rising spatial inequalities; nowhere is this more visible than in the major cities, particularly Copenhagen. One visible change has been the rise in the number of children with non-Danish backgrounds in public schools in major cities. Previous studies of Copenhagen showed that, while the level of ethnic residential segregation was moderate, the level of school segregation was remarkably high. The purpose of this paper is to revisit the case of Copenhagen through: (a) quantitatively identifying the level of ethnic school segregation in Copenhagen and the change over the last decade, and (b) qualitatively analysing the considerations regarding the school choice of parents in an ethnically diverse district. The paper identifies decreasing levels of ethnic school segregation in public schools but a markedly higher and increasing level in private schools. The qualitative material points to still-existing concerns regarding specific public schools with high proportions of pupils of non-Danish backgrounds as well as to parents who choose to overlook such concerns and opt for the local public school.
AllenR (2007) Allocating pupils to their nearest secondary school: The consequences for social and ability stratification. Urban Studies44(4): 751–770.
AndersenHT (2017) Copenhagen: The social costs of urban renewal. In: CuccaRRanciC (eds) Unequal Cities. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 138–154.
4.
AnderssonEÖshtJMalmbergB (2010) Ethnic segregation and performance inequality in the Swedish school system: A regional perspective. Environment and Planning A42: 2674–2686.
5.
ArnesenALLundahlL (2006) Still social and democratic? Inclusive education policies in the Nordic welfare states. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research50(3): 285–300.
BallSJ (2001) Class Strategies and the Education Market. The Middle Classes and Social Advantage. London: Routledge.
8.
BeachDSernhedeO (2011) From learning to labour to learning for marginality: School segregation and marginalisation in Swedish suburbs. British Journal of Sociology of Education32(2): 257–274.
9.
BirkelundGEHermansenASEvensenØ (2010) Skolesegregering – et problem? Elevsammensetning, frafall og karakterer i Oslo-skolen. Report. Institutt for sosiologi og samfunnsgeografi, Oslo University.
10.
BotermanWR (2013) Dealing with diversity: Middle-class family households and the issue of ‘black’ and ‘white’ schools in Amsterdam. Urban Studies50(6): 1130–1147.
11.
BourneLS (1993) Close together and worlds apart: An analysis of changes in the ecology of income in Canadian cities. Urban Studies30(8): 1293–1317.
12.
BrantlingerEMajd-JabbariMGuskinSL (1996) Self-interest and liberal educational discourse: How ideology works for middle-class mothers. American Educational Research Journal33(3): 571–597.
13.
BurgessSWilsonDLuptonR (2005) Parallel lives? Ethnic segregation in schools and neighbourhoods. Urban Studies42: 1027–1056.
14.
ButlerTRobsonG (2003) Plotting the middle classes: Gentrification and circuits of education in London. Housing Studies18(1): 5–28.
15.
Children and Youth Administration, The, Pædagogisk Faglighed (2011) BUU’s handleplan til Inklusionspolitikken 2011–2014. [BUU’s Action plan for the Inclusion Policy 2011–2014]. Copenhagen Municipality.
16.
Copenhagen Municipality (2011) Policy for Disadvantaged Areas [Politik for udsatte byområder]. The Technical and Environmental Administration.
17.
GibbonsSTelhajS (2007) Are schools drifting apart? Intake stratification in English secondary schools. Urban Studies44(7): 1281–1307.
18.
JohnstonRBurgessSWilsonD, et al. (2006) School and residential ethnic segregation: An analysis of variation across England’s local education authorities. Regional Studies40: 973–990.
19.
JohnstonR, et al. (2008) ‘Sleep-walking towards segregation?’ The changing ethnic composition of English schools, 1997–2003: An entry cohort analysis. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers33(1): 73–90 (accessed 24 June 2019).
KornhallPBenderG (2018) Ett söndrat land. Skolval och segregation i Sverige [A Divided Country. School Choice and Segregation in Sweden]. Stockholm: Arena Idee.
LindbergGLindenAL (1989) Social segmentation på den svenska bostadsmarknaden. Report. Sociologiska Institutionen, Lunds Universitet, Lund.
24.
MadsenBHornstrupM (2000) Analyser af situationen på boligmarkedet. København: Boligselskabernes Landsorganisation.
25.
PedersenOK (2011) Konkurrencestaten [The Competition State]. København: Hans Reitzel.
26.
RangvidBS (2007) Living and learning separately? Ethnic segregation of school children in Copenhagen. Urban Studies44(7): 1329–1354.
27.
RangvidBS (2010) School choice, universal vouchers and native flight from local schools. European Sociological Review26(3): 319–335.
28.
Regeringen (2018) Ét Danmark uden parallelsamfund. Ingen ghettoer i 2030 [One Denmark Without Parallel Societies]. Copenhagen: Regeringen.
29.
SibleyD (1995) Geographies of Exclusion: Society and Difference in the West. London: Routledge.
30.
Skovgaard NielsenR (2017) The potentials of a strong social housing sector: The case of Turks and Somalis in the Copenhagen housing market. Housing, Theory and Society34(4): 458–476.
31.
Skovgaard NielsenRHaagerupCD (2017) The Danish social housing sector: Recent changes and future challenges. Critical Housing Analysis4(1): 142–149.
32.
Skovgaard NielsenR, et al. (2016) DIVERCITIES: Dealing with Urban Diversity: The Case of Copenhagen. Copenhagen: SBi Forlag.
