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Direction 6ème !

How do parents choose their child's secondary school when they start Year 7?

Based on a nationwide survey of parents with children in the final year of primary school (CM2), this study explores the influence of available information on public middle schools and their broader environment, aiming to shed light on how families form preferences and make school decisions.

Research

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Research project

In recent years, more and more families from socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds have chosen to enroll their children in private schools at the start of lower secondary education. 

Direction 6ème ! is a research project that studies how parents decide between the local state secondary school and a private school at this important transition point.

The project focuses in particular on the role played by the information available to parents about the characteristics of local state secondary schools and, more broadly, about the school environment. A better understanding of these mechanisms sheds light on how parents form their preferences and make their decisions.

The study is based on a national survey of parents of fifth-grade students from 450 elementary schools in metropolitan France, as well as administrative data. 

Project funding 

The project is fully funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR).

 Project team members

  • Mathilde EMERIAU, Assistant Professor at Sciences Po Paris, affiliated with the médialab
  • Elise HUILLERY, Professor of Economics at École Normale Supérieure-PSL, affiliated with the LIEPP (Sciences Po Paris)
  • Leïla COSTIL, PhD candidate in Economics at Sciences Po Paris (since September 2025) 
  • Lux BOUDON, Project Manager