School Choice and Segregation: Evidence from the Oakland Unified School District. Working Paper 34957
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| Title: | School Choice and Segregation: Evidence from the Oakland Unified School District. Working Paper 34957 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jesse Rothstein, Ini Umosen, Christopher R. Walters, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) |
| Source: | National Bureau of Economic Research. 2026. |
| Availability: | National Bureau of Economic Research. 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-5398. Tel: 617-588-0343; Web site: http://www.nber.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Kindergarten Primary Education |
| Descriptors: | School Choice, School Segregation, School Districts, Income, School Desegregation, Urban Schools, School District Size, Kindergarten, Public Schools, Decision Making, Low Income Students, Institutional Characteristics |
| Geographic Terms: | California (Oakland) |
| Abstract: | We study the prospects for changes in school priorities to reduce income segregation in a context of centralized school assignment, accounting for behavioral responses to school offers. Promoting integration is a central objective for large urban school districts in the US, and reforms to school assignment priorities are a prominent means of pursuing this goal. Such efforts may be constrained by students' decisions to exit the public school system in response to less-preferred school offers. Using data on kindergarten applicants to the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), we show that offers of spots at first-choice schools boost the likelihood that applicants remain in OUSD. Nevertheless, simulations show that policy reforms giving priority for low-income students at high-income schools can substantially reduce segregation with minimal impacts on retention in the district. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Access URL: | https://www.nber.org/papers/w34957 |
| Accession Number: | ED679679 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | We study the prospects for changes in school priorities to reduce income segregation in a context of centralized school assignment, accounting for behavioral responses to school offers. Promoting integration is a central objective for large urban school districts in the US, and reforms to school assignment priorities are a prominent means of pursuing this goal. Such efforts may be constrained by students' decisions to exit the public school system in response to less-preferred school offers. Using data on kindergarten applicants to the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), we show that offers of spots at first-choice schools boost the likelihood that applicants remain in OUSD. Nevertheless, simulations show that policy reforms giving priority for low-income students at high-income schools can substantially reduce segregation with minimal impacts on retention in the district. |
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