Open Enrolment and Student Achievement

Jane Friesen, Benjamin Cerf Harris () and Simon Woodcock
Additional contact information
Benjamin Cerf Harris: U.S. Census Bureau

No 7642, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We investigate the effects of public school open enrolment, which allows students to enroll in any public school with available space, on fourth grade test scores. We find a small, positive effect on the average student; this benefit appears to stem from increased competition among schools, rather than directly through expanded choice opportunities. Among students whose catchment school is locally top-ranked according to test scores, greater choice is of no direct benefit; however, students whose catchment school is locally lowest-ranked earn higher scores when they have access to better local schools. Students in both groups benefit from increased school competition.

Keywords: open enrolment; school choice; school competition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 I28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 50 pages
Date: 2013-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-ure
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Working Paper: Open Enrolment and Student Achievement (2014)
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