Charter School Supply and the Role of Strategic Positioning in Determining School Locations

• In Event: Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: School Choice: A Look at Charter Schools

Abstract

This paper uses Geographic Information Systems and logistic regression analysis to examine New Jersey’s charter school supply. Findings indicate that charter schools generally locate in areas with substantial socio-economic and educational needs where they can presumably take advantage of strong demand for new schooling options. Within these larger areas, however, charters schools are found to locate outside neighborhoods with the greatest proportions of low-income and minority students. This paper adds to the existing charter school literature by advancing new methods of spatial analysis and presenting evidence on charter school behaviors at a higher spatial resolution (e.g. census block group) than has been widely reported.

Author

• Chad Joseph D'Entremont, Teachers College, Columbia University