Del preescolar a las puertas de la universidad. Un análisis de las trayectorias escolares de los estudiantes inmigrantes en Francia

Abstract

This article analyses the educational differentials between immigrant and native students from preschool education until the selection of traks in higher secondary schooling that clears the access to higher education. Using several dependent variables —the number of years in preschool programs, the grades obtained in Mathematics and French language, and the track chosen in non-compulsory schooling—, the paper shows that the immigrants’ disadvantage is already visible in primary school (immigrants take more years to finish than natives) and it is very evident in the grades obtained in secondary schooling. This poorer level of attainment is enough to explain the unequal access to the academic track in upper secondary education. The educational disadvantage of immigrant students does not seem to be associated with their ethnic ascription, but rather with their migrant status.