Avoiding Danger on the Way to School: Exposure to Violent Crime, Public Transportation, and Absenteeism

• In Event: 18.054 - Factors That Affect School Attendance

Abstract

This study uses administrative data from 4,200 first-time freshmen in Baltimore City public high schools to explore the relationship between exposure to violence on the way to school via public transit and the number of days absent during the 2014-15 school year. We find that exposure to violent crime while students are walking to and waiting at transit stops is associated with an increase in the number of annual absences. Exposure to violent crime while on public transit and exposure to property crime are not. The results remain after adjusting for student demographics, prior attendance, violent crime around homes and schools, and unobserved differences related to school preference and neighborhood selection.

Authors

• Julia Burdick-Will, Johns Hopkins University

• Marc L. Stein, Johns Hopkins University

• Jeffrey Grigg, Johns Hopkins University