| Title: |
How Transportation Shapes School Choice: Evidence from Baltimore City Public Schools. Technical Report |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Julia Burdick-Will; Marc L. Stein; National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH) |
| Source: |
National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice. 2025. |
| Availability: |
National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice. 1555 Poydras Street Suite 700, New Orleans, LA 70112. Tel: 870-540-6576; e-mail: info@reachcentered.org; Web site: https://reachcentered.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
38 |
| Publication Date: |
2025 |
| Document Type: |
Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Elementary Education; Grade 8; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools |
| Descriptors: |
School Choice; Barriers; Grade 8; Urban Schools; High Schools; Place of Residence; Bus Transportation; Scheduling; Proximity; Socioeconomic Status; Racial Differences; Institutional Characteristics; Enrollment; Ethnicity; Public Schools |
| Geographic Terms: |
Maryland (Baltimore) |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: |
American Community Survey |
| Abstract: |
This study exploits schedule variation in the public transportation system to assess whether increases in commute difficulty reduce the likelihood that a student will choose a particular school. Specifically, we use choice forms and public transportation route estimates from eighth graders in Baltimore City Public Schools (2014-15 through 2019-20) to show that students living in a specific residential block were less likely to list a given school as one of their high school options in years when the commute took longer or required a bus transfer. In addition, we show that in years where higher achieving schools were easier to access from a particular residential block more students who lived there end up enrolled in higher achieving schools. These findings have important implications for how we think about structural barriers to educational opportunity in the era of choice. They also highlight the connections between urban infrastructure and the education system and remind us that who has access to which schools depends on how far students are willing to travel. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2025 |
| Accession Number: |
ED674804 |
| Database: |
ERIC |