The choice of secondary education is for the students the key determinant of the future educational and job decisions, especially in highly stratified educational systems. Individuals’ performances, aspirations and gender stereotypes are among the key determinants of the choice of secondary school. Using the Starting Cohort 4 of the NEPS (National Educational Panel Study), we will analyze the role of these individual characteristics in the definition of this crucial decision. We will consider German male and female students attending 9^th grade. We will focus both on the decision to attend a specific track and on school differentiation by subjects. Thanks to the richness of the NEPS data, we will test the relevance of gender attitudes and stereotypes in defining educational choices, with an additional focus on the role of educational realistic and idealistic aspirations and previous educational achievement.