This research investigates access to senior school science and mathematics subjects offered in the final year of secondary schooling. Using data from the most populous Australian state of New South Wales, we examine whether stratification occurs in access to science and mathematics curricula. We find that the opportunity to study these subjects differs by key school characteristics, including location, socioeconomic composition and school sector. We find that while some science subjects and entry level mathematics are offered in most schools, substantial inequalities exist in access to the most advanced level of mathematics and chemistry. School location, socioeconomic composition, enrolment size and the availability of teachers predict the probability of whether a school offers the least and most advanced science and mathematics subjects. The findings highlight that stratification in curricula offerings occurs systemically and may intensify educational inequalities.

这项研究调查了中学最后一年提供的高中科学和数学科目的学习情况。我们利用澳大利亚人口最多的新南威尔士州的数据，研究了科学和数学课程的获取是否存在分层。我们发现，学习这些科目的机会因学校的主要特征而异，包括地点、社会经济构成和学校部门。我们发现，虽然大多数学校都提供一些科学科目和入门级数学，但在学习最高级数学和化学方面存在着巨大的不平等。学校地理位置、社会经济构成、招生规模和教师数量可以预测学校是否提供最少和最先进的科学和数学科目的概率。研究结果强调，课程设置的分层是系统性的，可能会加剧教育不平等。