Do Students Really Perform Better in Single-Sex Schools?

Education is a formative part of growing up – for most Australians, it’s a thirteen-year journey from Kindergarten to Year 12. Spending such a long time in classrooms, exposed to other people of a similar age, can help build thoughts and perspectives that children will carry through to their adult years and beyond.

With so much discourse around the functional composition of classrooms in recent years, many schools have chosen to change the mix of students they accept – with schools such as Newington College being one of many to shift from a single-sex cohort to a co-educational college environment. For some parents and many talkback hosts, this has caused controversy.

For those in the education sector, whether you’re experienced professionals or recent graduates of a Masters in Education Leadership, understanding the impacts of such changes can be powerful, and informative. Let’s explore the idea of co-educational versus single-sex schools – is one type necessarily better?

A History of Segregated Education

In the last two centuries, there has been a shift in community expectations about education. Before the 19th century, education was not something that every young person had – at the time, it was typically only young boys who received an education.

Changes in community expectations in the 19th century broadened the idea of who should get an education. The notion that education should be a fundamental human right proliferated, and as a result, schools were opened to help provide education to all young people.

When these schools were set up, however, the notion that women and men would have similar careers or roles in society was non-existent – in the 19th century, an educated man may work in a factory, while an educated woman may be a caregiver for children. As a result, early schools were often set up as single-sex institutions – where young men or women could gain the essential skills necessary to thrive as adults.

Over time, the notion that education should be different between the sexes was challenged and then subsequently dissolved. The twentieth century saw an increase in the number of co-educational schools, designed to provide an equivalent level of education to both boys and girls. Interestingly, this change didn’t happen as a result of a change in perspective on societal norms at the time – in fact, the transition to co-educational education was largely a result of financial pressures at the time on school providers, typically governments.

Benefits of Single-Sex Education

Single-sex education can have some benefits to students – historically, men and women had different needs, and as such, building schools to cater to those needs was considered beneficial. While that isn’t necessarily true in contemporary education, that’s not to say there isn’t a benefit to providing education split on gender lines.

Many single-sex educational facilities have long-held networks of organisations and groups that can help a child when they are out in the world – such as social networks. It can also, in part, help to reduce the reinforcement of gender stereotypes, such as a focus on how someone may look, and help develop a greater focus on educational outcomes.

In many parts of the world, schools are still extensively segregated based on sex. This is typically, but not exclusively, performed on religious grounds, where the roles of men and women are still quite different in such societies. It’s important to note that even in some parts of the world, single-sex education systems are quite prevalent, even in nations such as Chile, Ireland, and Singapore.

Benefits of Co-Educational Learning

As children, we spend a lot of time within schools and the broader education system. As part of our formative years, this time can help us develop personal views and ethics – such as how we treat those around us.

Co-educational learning experiences can have their advantages – notably, they prepare students for real-world scenarios – as many contemporary roles require the ability to work in diverse organisations – whether that be diversity in culture, gender, or religion.

In a world where there are clear problems with gendered violence, co-educational learning provides an opportunity to foster respectful relationships between genders. It can help break down barriers, and tackle the proliferation of harmful gender stereotypes.

The Verdict on Same-Sex Education

Ultimately, when considering student outcomes, there is little evidence to suggest that students perform any better academically in a co-educational or single-sex environment. Notably, many researchers consider the role that socioeconomic status has in educational outcomes, noting that class can often represent a more significant barrier than gender.

It can be argued that co-educational education can be beneficial in reflecting a more realistic equivalent of the modern world. That can be incredibly useful when entering the workforce – as many co-ed students would have encountered this diversity when being educated.

Ultimately, for many stakeholders, no matter whether you’re a parent or an educational leader, the decision to go to a single-sex or co-ed school will largely be a matter of choice or necessity, depending on where you live.

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