Education Reform in Norway Deepens Inequality
In the city of Bergen, Norway, the decision to make grades the primary criterion for upper secondary school placement has reignited debates over fairness in education. A new study reveals that this reform has created significant disparities among students. Introduced in 2005, the policy replaced geographical proximity with academic performance as the main basis for school admissions. While the reform aimed to create a fairer system and improve access to high-quality schools for high-achieving students, the findings suggest that it has instead produced complex and unequal outcomes.
Professor Kjell Gunnar Salvanes of the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) explains that the reform has effectively divided students into two groups: those admitted to prestigious schools and those pushed to the margins. According to the research, students who secure places in the most sought-after schools tend to have higher grades, come from more advantaged socio-economic backgrounds, and are disproportionately female. However, the benefits for these students appear to be limited, while the consequences for those excluded from top schools are far more severe.
Students with lower or average grades - often from less advantaged backgrounds - are found to have significantly reduced chances of completing upper secondary education and progressing to higher education. The study also concludes that the reform has not improved overall educational outcomes. Instead, it highlights what researchers describe as a “displacement effect”, where the gains of some students come at the expense of others being pushed out of the system due to limited school capacity.