The High School Sector and Educational Achievement

――The Influence of Social Stratification in Private High School――

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of the high school sector on educational achievement in Japan. A range of previous research on disparities in high schools showed that the rank of high schools (based on the scholastic achievement of pupils etc.) was born out of the democratization of high schools. However, considering that the democratization of high schools is maintained by a private high school, the high school sector may become a factor for high school ranking. The data used for analysis is the 2005 Social Stratification and Social Mobility Survey (SSM) in Japan. The results show students who go on to private high schools have lower scholastic achievement compared to students go on to public high schools. On the other hand, private high school students have higher educational achievement than public school students. Moreover, this study revealed private high school students have higher levels of social stratification than public high school students.Considering that the number of students taking the entrance examinations for private junior high schools has increased since the 1990s, private schools may have a greater effect on educational achievement not only in high schools but also in junior high schools in the future. Therefore, additional attention to the relationship between educational achievement and the private and public school sectors is necessary. E-mail: [e-mail]