Public School Choice: Some Evidence From the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988

Abstract

Programs to provide parents with opportunities to choose among public schools have increased to the point that more American high school students are enrolled in public “schools of choice” than private schools. Using indicators of students’ “exercise of choice “ and enrollment in a public school of choice from The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this article explores certain groups’ propensities to take advantage of opportunities to choose in the public sector. Controlling on the availability of opportunities for choice in their schools, African Americans and Hispanics show a greater propensity to take advantage of those opportunities than Whites and Asian Americans. Students whose parents have lower levels of education are also more likely than those with more education to take advantage of opportunities to choose.