School Attendance Zone Boundary Changes in a Diversifying Suburb: The Case of Howard County Public School System

• In Event: Spatial Stratification. Nefarious Intent: The Impact of Neighborhood Racial Change on Enrollment and Student Assignment

Abstract

This paper examines school attendance zone boundary changes in Howard County Public School System, Maryland (HCPSS) between 1989 and 2019. A recent rezoning process in HCPSS demonstrated the critical role of school boundaries for sorting diversifying student populations and shaping patterns of segregation. Guided by literature documenting how white and affluent populations work to maintain privilege and hoard resources in schools, we investigate the intersections between residential population change, school boundary changes, and school populations in HCPSS. Findings suggest that places of racial and socioeconomic change experience contentious boundary changes. Many suburban districts across the country are experiencing rapid diversification of student populations, and our findings illustrate how districts’ responses to those changes could affect patterns of segregation and equity.

Authors

• Sarah Asson, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

• Erica Frankenberg, The Pennsylvania State University

• Chris Fowler, Pennsylvania State University

• Ruth Krebs Buck, Pennsylvania State University