Decoupling Schools and Neighborhoods: The Landscape of School Choice and Neighborhood Perception

• In Event: How Schools and Neighborhoods Matter

Abstract

Many school districts are increasingly offering their students options that break the geographic link between residential location and school attendance. This project considers the consequences of non-local school attendance on neighborhood perception. Specifically, are individual and aggregate school attendance patterns related to residents’ perceptions their neighborhood? To address these questions, I use Making Connections survey data from low-income neighborhoods in ten different cities. Using GIS and descriptive statistics, I examine the locations of the residents’ schools and compare perceptions of social cohesion across and within neighborhoods. Findings suggest that there are no differences between parents of local and non-local school attendees, but neighborhoods where students concentrate in specific schools do have higher levels of reported social cohesion and safety.

Author

• Julia Burdick-Will, Johns Hopkins University