Canada’s level of socio-economic segregation or sorting between schools—the extent
to which students of different socio-economic status (SES) attend different schools—
is low by international standards. However, this overall level may mask inter-provincial
differences in segregation. Provinces have strikingly different school choice policies,
which may affect segregation levels. We estimate segregation in each province using
eight cycles of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2000-
2022). We find that segregation is highest in Quebec and lowest in the Maritimes
provinces. Correlational and decomposition analyses suggest high segregation in
Quebec is associated with private school enrolment.
