Educational Outcomes of Muslim High School Students in Toronto Compared to Students in other Religions

Congratulations Sarah Masri (doctoral candidate) and Dr. Karen Robson on their recently published article in the Journal of Research on Religion.  Sarah presented her research at the Department’s “Celebration of Excellence in the Graduate Program” Spring Welcome event.

The article examines the academic achievement and post-secondary enrollment of Muslim high school students in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) in comparison to students from other religious counterparts. Using the student Census of four pooled Grade 9 student cohorts from 2013 to 2016 and segmented assimilation theory and frameworks of social and cultural capital, we assess whether religion is associated with educational achievement in the Canadian context. Our findings show that Muslim students generally fall in the mid-range of academic performance, with lower average grades than some groups but outcomes comparable to others, particularly Christian students. However, after controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and academic factors, these differences largely diminish, and the predicted performance of Muslim students aligns with most religious groups. Muslim students show relatively higher odds of college enrollment, but somewhat lower odds of university enrollment compared to certain groups, though these patterns are mediated by control variables. Overall, religious identification is not a strong independent predictor of educational outcomes once broader determinants are considered, underscoring the importance of structural context in shaping student trajectories.

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<p>Congratulations Sarah Masri (doctoral candidate) and Dr. Karen Robson on their recently published article in the <a href="https://ijrr.web.baylor.edu/sites/g/files/ecbvkj2171/files/2026-05/ijrr22_003.pdf">Journal of Research on Religion</a>.  Sarah presented her research at the Department’s “Celebration of Excellence in the Graduate Program” Spring Welcome event.</p> <p>The article examines the academic achievement and post-secondary enrollment of Muslim high school students in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) in comparison to students from other religious counterparts. Using the student Census of four pooled Grade 9 student cohorts from 2013 to 2016 and segmented assimilation theory and frameworks of social and cultural capital, we assess whether religion is associated with educational achievement in the Canadian context. Our findings show that Muslim students generally fall in the mid-range of academic performance, with lower average grades than some groups but outcomes comparable to others, particularly Christian students. However, after controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and academic factors, these differences largely diminish, and the predicted performance of Muslim students aligns with most religious groups. Muslim students show relatively higher odds of college enrollment, but somewhat lower odds of university enrollment compared to certain groups, though these patterns are mediated by control variables. Overall, religious identification is not a strong independent predictor of educational outcomes once broader determinants are considered, underscoring the importance of structural context in shaping student trajectories.</p> <p> </p>

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