%0 Journal Article %A Kehinde F. Ajayi %T School Choice and Educational Mobility: Lessons from Secondary School Applications in Ghana %D 2022 %R 10.3368/jhr.0417-8714R2 %J Journal of Human Resources %P 0417-8714R2 %X 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. %U https://jhr.uwpress.org/content/wpjhr/early/2022/03/31/jhr.0417-8714R2.full.pdf