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School Attendance Boundaries and the Segregation of Public Schools in the United States

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  • Tomás E. Monarrez

Abstract

School segregation is determined both by residential sorting and local policies, such as the drawing of attendance boundaries and school siting. This paper develops an approach to understanding the relative importance of these factors by calculating the distance-minimizing assignment of students to schools and assessing whether actual assignments differ systematically by race. Using census data and attendance boundary maps for nearly 1,600 school districts, I find that attendance boundaries create 5 percent more integration than a distance-minimizing baseline, while school siting plays almost no role. Residential segregation alone explains more than 100 percent of school segregation in the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Tomás E. Monarrez, 2023. "School Attendance Boundaries and the Segregation of Public Schools in the United States," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 210-237, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:210-37
    DOI: 10.1257/app.20200498
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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