Lessons from displacement: The educational journey of Ukrainian students in Italy

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced more than 6 million Ukrainians to seek refuge abroad, many of them in European Union (EU) countries. In 2024, Italy was the fifth largest host country of Ukrainian refugees within the EU, with the majority being women and children. 

School-aged Ukrainian refugees have been facing the dual challenge of adapting to a new education system while coping with the trauma of the situation in their home country and the experience of displacement. As such, monitoring human capital losses among Ukrainian refugee students and identify potential factors that can support their educational integration into host countries' systems becomes of outmost importance to prevent potentially irreversible long-term impacts. Our new paper sheds light on the early integration of Ukrainian refugee students into Italy's education system, offering valuable insights and policy recommendations.

The study utilizes both administrative and survey data to analyze the enrollment trends, academic performance, and barriers to integration concerning Ukrainian refugee students in Italian secondary schools. The administrative data, obtained from the Italian Ministry of Education and the Italian National Institute for the Evaluation of the Educational System (INVALSI), covers the academic years 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24. The survey data collected by the World Bank and the Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale (CeSPI) provides complementary insights.
 

What do we find?

1. Low Enrollment Trends: While enrollment rates for Ukrainian refugees in Italian secondary schools have improved since their initial arrival, they remain significantly low.  In academic year 2023–24, only slightly more than one-third of Ukrainian refugees aged 12–18 were enrolled in grades 7 to 13. 

2. High Absenteeism: Ukrainian refugee students exhibit higher absenteeism rates than other student groups, particularly in upper secondary education. These findings are not driven by gender, grade, school, socio-economic background, language spoken at home, or time of arrival in Italy. Ukrainian refugees are consistently more absent than other foreign students who entered the Italian education system around the same time. This trend is concerning since consistent attendance is crucial for academic success and social integration.
 

Figure 1 . Number of school days missed during the academic year 2022–23 

^{Source: Ministry of Education}

3. Mixed Findings on Academic Performance: On standardized tests, Ukrainian refugees generally score lower in subjects requiring language proficiency, such as Italian and English. However, they perform relatively well in mathematics compared to other migrants who joined the Italian education system around the same time, suggesting potential strengths linked to their prior educational backgrounds.

Figure 2. Scores for academic year 2022–23

^{Source: INVALSI}

4. Suboptimal Enrollment in Advanced Educational Tracks: Ukrainian refugees are less likely to enroll in advanced educational tracks (74 percent) compared to their Italian peers (84 percent). Despite this, teachers are more inclined to recommend Ukrainian students for advanced educational tracks than other newly arrived foreign students, indicating a recognition of their potential and optimism about their future academic progress.

What are potential reasons behind these findings?

1. Language Barriers: Language proficiency is one of the main struggles faced by Ukrainian refugee students: 38 percent of refugee children cited Italian courses as the most important form of assistance needed from Italian schools. Addressing this barrier is crucial for their academic success and social integration.
   
   
2. Mental Distress: The mental distress resulting from displacement is a key barrier to their educational integration. The trauma of fleeing their home country can significantly impact their ability to focus on their studies and engage with their peers. According to the survey, 16 percent of children and 24 percent of refugee caregivers reported experiencing psychological distress consistent with a serious mental illness.
   
   
3. Uncertainty about the Future: The lack of certainty about the length of stay in Italy and the desire to return to Ukraine can negatively impact refugees' connectedness to Italy, including its education system. This uncertainty can hinder their motivation to fully integrate and invest in their education in Italy. As a result, many students try to stay connected to both educational systems. The survey findings indicate that 25 percent of children are participating in online Ukrainian education while being enrolled in Italian schools, hence carrying an additional burden.
    

Considerations for Policymakers

The study highlights a critical need for tailored interventions that address the unique challenges faced by these students to ensure their successful integration into the Italian education system. Addressing the specific areas where Ukrainian refugee students need support will be essential to prevent long-term negative impacts on their educational outcomes and well-being. The following policy actions could be therefore considered, based on our study:

1. Language Support: Implement dedicated Italian language courses and ensure smaller class sizes for Ukrainian refugee students to help them overcome language barriers and improve their academic performance.
   
   
2. Psychological Support: Provide mental health services to address the trauma and mental distress experienced by refugee students and their caregivers. This support is crucial for their academic success and wellbeing.
   
   
3. Community Engagement: Foster social connections and a sense of belonging within the host community. Encouraging parental involvement and community engagement can enhance the social integration of refugee students.

Our work also highlights the importance of continuous monitoring of the education outcomes of refugees in host countries to understand whether gaps persist over time and to recalibrate policy measures, as needed.

Integrating Ukrainian refugee students into host countries' education systems presents both challenges and opportunities. Our study in Italy could be helpful for other countries hosting Ukrainian refugees and facing similar challenges. In addition to informing policies to support the integration of Ukrainian refugees across Europe, our insights can feed into global efforts to support refugee students both academically and socially.

This post is coauthored with Michela Carlana (Harvard Kennedy School and Bocconi University).