Parental Choice of Schools

The percentage of children whose parents enrolled them in chosen public schools increased between 1993 and 2003. Differences in parents’ choice of public school are related to grade level, region, and race/ethnicity.

Between 1993 and 2003, the percentage of students in grades 1–12 attending a “chosen” public school (a public school other than their assigned public school) increased from 11 to 15 percent, while the percentage attending assigned public schools decreased from 80 to 74 percent (see table 36-1). The percentages of students attending private schools also increased during this period (0.9 percentage points for private church-related schools and 0.8 percentage points for private not church-related schools); these increases, however, were smaller than the increase in the percentage of students attending chosen public schools. This indicator examines the availability of public school choice programs and the students who attend chosen public schools, as reported by parents.¹

When asked whether they could send their child to a chosen public school, the parents of 51 percent of students reported having such a choice. Not all students’ parents, however, were equally likely to report that they had this choice. For instance, parents of students in grades 9–12 compared with grades 1–5 (54 vs. 50 percent), as well as parents of students in the West compared with those in the Northeast and South (61 vs. 39 and 47 percent, respectively), were more likely to report having choice over their child’s public school.

Among students whose parents reported having public school choice, approximately 27 percent attended a chosen public school, while 65 percent attended their assigned school. In addition, students in grades 1–5 were more likely to attend a chosen public school than students in grades 9–12 (30 vs. 25 percent). Black students compared with White or Hispanic students (42 vs. 22 and 27 percent, respectively), as well as students in the South compared with students in the Midwest (30 vs. 22 percent), were more likely to attend chosen public schools.

Another way in which parents can choose schools is to move to a neighborhood so that their children can attend a particular school. In 2003, the parents of 24 percent of students reported that they moved to their current neighborhood so that their children could attend their current school.