Absztrakt

The study examines the final examination performance of students attending a state secondary school for boys. The multivariate analysis of the grades of more than 500 students over a period of fifteen years has yielded significant findings. On the one hand, contrary to national trends, students belonging to the Reformed Church achieved the highest results at this institution. On the other hand – perhaps less surprisingly – the sons of higher-status parents per- formed significantly better in their examinations. Another important outcome is that the longer a student studied at the school where the final exam was held, the greater their chances of graduating with outstanding results. These findings highlight the distinct character and formative role of individual schools as institutions of education and cultural transmission, which suggests that this institutional function should be considered as an independent factor in future analyses of similar datasets.