School Choice and Urban Socio-Spatial Boundaries

Abstract

Expansive school choice programs are often implemented for the perceived ability for students to overcome geographic disparities in access to high-quality education, though it remains to be seen if these programs are in fact connecting communities that were separated through racial segregation and addressing the educational inequities associated with it. These initiatives take place in complex environments, and historical context makes it important to acknowledge how they impact the communities they serve. This study pairs census data with administrative data from a large urban school district in the southeastern United States to examine how the implementation of an expansive school choice program impacted geographic and demographic patterns in where students enroll. Findings indicate that affluent and marginalized areas of the city maintain school segregation even when students opt into choice schools, challenging assumptions about how school choice could impact broader community processes.