The number of children affected by parental divorce and separation has constantly risen in recent decades in Germany (cf. Federal Statistical Office 2011, 243, 348), resulting in an increasing number of school children being confronted with unsettled family structures and relationships. As further changes within the family (e.g. extensions and new formations of families) often follow parental separation, these children in particular are more frequently affected by re-formations in the family.
In this context, both the separation of the parents and also the new formation or extension of the family which often follow have varied effects on the structure of family resources (cf. as a summary Borhardt 2000), which influence the children's scholastic performance on the one hand and also the parents' decision-making behaviour on the other hand (cf. Boudon 1974). From a stress theory perspective, these transformations within the family additionally portray critical incidents demanding adaptation performances on the part of the children, also possibly having an influence on their scholastic performances (cf. as a summary Amato 2010, Walper 2002, Schlemmer 2004).
Within the framework of research into inequality of education, this paper focuses on the question of whether children affected by divorce and separation, as a group particularly affected by family transformations, demonstrate less educational success than children from “complete” families. Further, the question of whether children from families with step-parents, i.e. children who have experienced at least two family re-formations, differ from children from single-parent households in regard to their transfer success. In the context of this paper, the first education passage following primary school in Germany is observed. Scholastic performance and the type of school attended following primary school are therefore central indicators for a successful transfer. In addition, deviations between the school-track recommended by the primary school teacher and the school-track actually chosen are examined. These deviations are regarded as a result of parental education decisions.

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