Social Inequality in Education: Academic Achievement of First-, Second-, and Later-Generation Immigrant Students in Luxembourg

Students with immigrant backgrounds are often disadvantaged in public educational systems. In Luxembourg, about 50% of primary and secondary school students have an immigrant background, most notably from Italy, the former Yugoslavia and Portugal. Using data from Luxembourg’s national school monitoring program, we investigate and document for the first time, existing and emerging differences in academic achievement among different immigrant generations of students. Our results indicate that student achievement in Math, German and French is differentially affected by immigrant generational status and language spoken at home. In addition, we find secondary effects of student social background.