Recently more and more schools in Europe develop specific school or class profiles. An international example for a specific school profile is the European School, which exists in many European countries. One of the most widely spread class profiles in Germany are bilingual classes, music classes (e.g. Yamaha classes) or science classes. The benefit for attending such a class in the first place is the promotion of students’ skills and the reinforcement of their individual interests. In addition, an increasing number of schools use profiles to attract students and to be able to keep up their enrolment figures (Altrichter, Heinrich & Soukup-Altrichter, 2011). On the one hand, school and class profiles enable schools to react to internal and external requirements in a way that accounts for the needs of all groups involved in a specific school. On the other hand, schools can actively influence their student body by explicitly or implicitly selecting certain groups of students whenever there is a surplus of applications (Weiss, 2001). Several studies show that selection processes concerning the choice of the type of secondary school (Gymnasium [upper secondary school] or integrierte/kooperative Gesamtschule [comprehensive school]) as well as the choice of specific schools in a certain city or area are related to students’ social background and social class affiliation (Conger, 2005; Maaz, Nagy, Jonkmann & Baumert, 2009). Up to now, selection processes for the registration for a class with a specific profile have hardly been subject to empirical research.

Altrichter, H., Heinrich, M. & Soukup-Altrichter, K. (Hrsg.). (2011). Schulentwicklung durch Schulprofilierung? Zur Veränderung von Koordinationsmechanismen im Schulsystem. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Conger, D. (2005). Within-School Segregation in an Urban School District. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 27 (3), 225–244. Maaz, K., Nagy, G., Jonkmann, K. & Baumert, J. (2009). Eliteschulen in Deutschland. Eine Analyse zur Existenz von Exzellenz und Elite in der gymnasialen Bildungslandschaft aus einer institutionellen Perspektive. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 55 (2), 211–227. Weiß, M. (2001). Quasi-Märkte im Schulbereich. Eine ökonomische Analyse. In J. Oelkers (Hrsg.), Zukunftsfragen der Bildung (Zeitschrift für Pädagogik Beiheft, Bd. 43, S. 69–85). Weinheim [u.a.]: Beltz.