RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 School Choice and Educational Mobility
JF Journal of Human Resources
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 1207
OP 1243
DO 10.3368/jhr.0417-8714R2
VO 59
IS 4
A1 Ajayi, Kehinde F.
YR 2024
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/59/4/1207.abstract
AB 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 study 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.