The Virtues and Vices of School District Consolidation: Evidence from U.S. Cities, 1880-1912

Sun Go
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Sun Go: Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea

Journal of Economic Development, 2025, vol. 50, issue 4, 1-24

Abstract: Beginning in the late nineteenth century, many small urban school districts were consolidated into large citywide school districts. This study assembles new city-level school finance data from the 1880 and 1912 federal censuses and historical school reports to examine the effects of consolidation on the provision of local public schooling. Using a difference-in-differences framework, the analysis yields two main findings. First, consolidation generated economies of scale in the provision of public education. Second, consolidation weakened local residents’ willingness to pay taxes for city schools, which in turn constrained the growth of public school financing following consolidation.

Keywords: Public School; District; Consolidation; City; Tax (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I22 N31 O18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:jecdev:021997

DOI: 10.35866/caujed.2025.50.4.001

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