Parents’ education and income strongly determine children’s academic success

The CPB researchers combined cohort studies on the school careers of children aged 2–15 with background information from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. This shows that, at the age of three, children of parents with a low income or a low level of education already perform considerably less well in numeracy and language skills than children of parents with a high income or level of education. From grade 3 onwards, the differences do not increase further, or hardly at all, but neither do they become smaller. In terms of work attitude and behaviour, there is little difference between children of parents with different income levels. Children with less-educated parents, on the other hand, do score lower in terms of work attitude and behaviour in the classroom.

Migration background

On average, children with a migration background start with a disadvantage in language and numeracy, but they catch up during their school years. Ultimately, they differ little from classmates with a similar socioeconomic background who do not have a migration background. In terms of work attitude and behaviour, there are few differences from an early age between children with and without a migration background.

Differences by gender

In addition to differences in background characteristics, the differences between boys and girls are often even greater. Girls have had an advantage in language skills from the age of two. After the age of six, boys develop an advantage in numeracy, although this advantage decreases somewhat at a later age. Boys also score significantly lower in work attitude and behaviour from an early age. A lower score in these areas means, for example, that they work less accurately or give up more quickly when something does not work out.

Reducing inequality

A skills disadvantage at a young age can negatively affect later opportunities in the labour market. It is therefore important to address inequality in education at an early stage. Foreign studies show that preschool and early childhood education and special programmes aimed at children with disadvantages can help reduce inequality at a young age. The extent to which such programmes make a difference in the Netherlands is insufficiently known. Further research is needed.

Download the report Inequality in Early Childhood here.