Locating Chicago's Charter Schools: A Sociospatial Analysis

• In Event: 66.057 - The Importance of Place and Geographic Relationships: Spatial Elements That Affect Charters and School Choice

Abstract

Using geographic information systems software, this paper uses data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey to identify the socioeconomic characteristics of the census tracts in which Chicago’s charter schools tend to locate. Echoing the findings of other researchers who have examined charter school locational patterns, the present analyses found evidence of a “floor effect” by which many charter schools appear to locate in Chicago’s lower-income neighborhoods, broadly cast, but avoid locating directly within highest-need census tracts. By extending the findings of other researchers to the context of Chicago—where charters represent an ever-increasing share of the public school market—this study suggests that further research examining how geography impacts student access to charters in Chicago may be warranted.

Author

• Jennifer Carol LaFleur, University of Rochester