Volume: 14  Number: 2  Page: 92–111

School Choice in Colorado Springs: The Relationship Between Parental Decisions, Location and Neighbourhood Characteristics

Rebecca Theobald Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309–0260, USA

The influence of location as exemplified by neighbourhood factors and school characteristics on primary education is examined in the context of the school choice movement of the last two decades. The analysis incorporates statistical information about schools and population data from Census 2000 describing neighbourhoods and schools in one district in the State of Colorado in order to minimise structural variables affecting parent decisions, such as tax rates and district leadership. Comparisons of statistical data identified patterns of socioeconomic factors linking school characteristics and neighbourhood characteristics. These patterns targeted distance as a predominant factor in school choice. Most parents move students to a nearby school they perceive as better than the current situation, rather than choosing a school at a greater distance that might have stronger performance indicators. It appears that both neighbourhood characteristics and school characteristics together influence parents’ and guardians’ choice of schools. These conclusions lead to questions about whether public school choice and voucher funding policies as currently conceived will have the intended effect of improving education for all children.

Keywords: demographics, primary, neighbourhood, parental choice, school choice

© 2005 R. Theobald

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