School Choice and Educational Mobility: Lessons from Secondary School Applications in Ghana

Abstract

Merit-based school choice often presents an unfulfilled promise of educational mobility. In Ghana, where a standardized exam determines secondary school admission, students from low-performing elementary schools apply to weaker secondary schools than equally qualified students from high-performing elementary schools. This paper investigates why students with the same academic potential make different application choices. I outline a theoretical model and empirical strategy to analyze heterogeneity in student demand. Using administrative data, I show that disadvantaged students value school proximity more and live farther away from high-performing schools, suggesting the interaction between demand and the spatial distribution of schools limits educational mobility.