Skip to main content
European Commission logo
English
European Website on Integration
12 January 2023

Denmark: Students with migrant background surpass national average at local school

Flag of Denmark

In the space of just four years residential area Tingbjerg, on the outskirts of Copenhagen in Denmark, has been removed from the national list of so-called 'ghettos': areas that meet the criteria of having - as well as low income and education levels and high unemployment and crime rates - large numbers of migrant residents of 'non-Western origin’.

In the Danish context, 'Western countries' are understood to be: all EU countries plus Andorra, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, United Kingdom, the United Sates and the Vatican. Anyone else is defined as 'non-Western'. A person is not considered Danish by Denmark's statistics body, for example, by virtue of holding a Danish passport, rather only if they have in addition at least one parent who is a Danish citizen and was born in Denmark.

Tingbjerg is home to many refugees from African and Middle Eastern countries, as well as migrants from Turkey. Its removal from the list is mainly due to a rise in income levels among its residents, but another development has been very successful and promising for future integration: there has been a significant increase in the enrollment rate of children from Tingbjerg School - many of whom have migrant background - in a youth education programme 15 months after leaving ninth grade. Five years ago, this rate stood at 62.8%. By 2022, it was 97%: far above the national average of 85.9%. 

The proportion of parents in Tingbjerg with little or no education themselves is higher than the national average in Denmark, and their income levels tend to be lower. Additionally, 80% of Tingbjerg children are bilingual, mostly with roots outside Europe. These three factors would usually reduce the likelihood that a child will continue to further education after secondary school: generally, children in Denmark with roots in 'non-Western' countries tend to attain lower grades in school, with boys in particular being less likely to enroll in secondary education than their peers with a Danish or Western background.

The recent success of Tingbjerg school is the result of a new strategy implemented by Marco Anders Damgaard, who became its headmaster six years ago. The strategy has led to the hiring of new, ambitious staff and the establishment a safe working environment. It also took steps to overcome the problem of low expectations of and exaggerated narratives around migrants in Denmark, which can have a negative impact on migrant children and their academic performance. Of the strategy, Damgaard said: “Our expectations were too low, which made us fail the children. The most important thing is changing the mindset – making everyone believe in success for the children, so that we can create good faith and communicate the right expectations to pupils”.

Details

Publication dates
Location
Copenhagen
Geographic area
Denmark
Source
Posted by
Michala Clante Bendixen
Country Coordinator

Related content

More content