Ethnic school context and the national and sub-national identifications of pupils

In various European countries, policy-makers strive for educational desegregation to enhance pupils ’ national identifications. Since little empirical evidence supports such a policy and social identity theorists emphasize the importance of context, this article examines the impact of ethnic school composition measured by the proportion of non-natives and ethnic heterogeneity on the national (Belgian) and sub-national (Flemish) identifications of pupils. Multi-level data analyses from the surveying of 2,845 pupils (aged 1012) in sixty-eight Flemish primary schools reveal differential effects for natives and non-natives. While the proportion of non-natives at school is negatively associated with non-native pupils ’ identifications, it is positively related to native pupils’ identifications. In general, the ethnic heterogeneity of the school is negatively associated with pupils ’ national and sub-national identifica-tions. Our findings indicate that the relation between ethnic school composition and pupils ’ identifications is mediated by the latter’s inter-ethnic friendships. The consequences of these findings for educational policy are discussed