Focus On: Privatschulen in Luxemburg – Diversifizierung des Bildungsangebots und soziale Segmentierung (German)
The Focus On delivers the first systematic analysis of Luxembourg’s private school landscape, which had previously received little empirical attention. It examines private schools offering both national and non-national curricula with regard to their social composition, admission criteria, motives for school choice, and institutional embeddedness within an increasingly differentiated school system. The analysis is based on a mixed-methods approach, combining newly available student data for the 2024/25 school year with semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from the non-public school system.
Our core interest lies in the question of how private schools are socially composed particularly in comparison with public traditional and public international schools and what implications this has for educational equity. In addition to highlighting social disparities, the study also examines structural features of private schools that may provide impulses for a more equitable design of the public education system.
Based on the results of the study, three key recommendations can be derived for education policy, which are relevant for both the public and non-public educational systems:
- Include private schools in data-driven educational planning
In light of growing educational needs and increasing system diversification, it is evident that private schools can no longer remain a blind spot from an analytical point of view. Their role in the education system must be captured through reliable data and strategically integrated into educational planning. This requires continuous data collection, analysis, and informed policy contextualisation. - Identify and address social segmentation
Private schools predominantly – though not exclusively – attract a socioeconomically privileged student body, particularly in the case of private schools offering a non-national curriculum. Striking in comparison with other public schooling options is that public international schools – despite their mandate to promote equal opportunities – also tend to display a socially selective profile. Since diversification of the school system does not automatically lead to social diversification of the student body, the segmentation tendencies associated with it require targeted policy attention, including transparent admission criteria, fair access regulations, and tailored support instruments. - Link public funding to quality standards and transparency
Public funding for private schools should be tied to clear quality standards, with transparent and socially balanced admission criteria, which must first be defined at system level by education policy. While the pedagogical autonomy of private schools must be respected, it should also be ensured that public funds are granted only when binding requirements regarding quality and transparency are met.
The study is part of the EvoSS research project, which provides evidence-based insights into social segmentation within the Luxembourgish school system.