Abilities of Students from Private and State Schools in Germany

Abstract

The growing number of private schools in Germany is currently a subject of controversy. For example, it is feared that private schools strengthen the social disparities in Germany’s educational system and that they could develop into elitist institutions. Based on nationwide data from the Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB) Educational Trends Study 2015 and 2016 for the end of the fourth and ninth grades (N Private schools = 93 and 39, N State schools = 1231 and 1356 respectively), it was determined to what extent advantages in average abilities achieved in the subjects German, English, and mathematics are attributed to private schools and what the causes could be. Possible reasons for existing group differences were statistically evaluated with the aid of propensity score matching. Taken as a whole, the results did not prove that private schools are more efficient than state schools. Without considering relevant covariates, performance advantages in favor of private schools can be found. Statistically, however, these advantages can be almost entirely ascribed to the student selectivity of private schools and the accompanying composition effects.