Social school mix and the experience of high school and primary school pupils

This article presents the main results of a study that evaluates and analyzes the influence of social composition of schooling context - termed school mix in English-language literature on pupils' progress and some of their attitudes, as well as on certain teacher judgments, at the primary school and seconde [second form (GB)/tenth grade (US)] lycee (high school) levels. The influence of school mix on pupil progress in a given year seems slight. Moreover, the results show significant contextual effects on pupils' occupational aspirations, some of their attitudes, and teacher expections and demands. It remains to be seen, however, how best to apprehend the way effects of context accumulate over time, as well as what components of context - normative climate in class, teaching and pedagogical functioning, social mix itself - are likely to produce differences.