Does Pupil Transportation Close the School Quality Gap?: Evidence from New York City

Using uniquely detailed individual-level data on transportation provided to all New York City public school students, the authors examine the relationship between transportation use and school quality for elementary school students (K–5). The authors find that students who attend choice schools are more likely to use transportation (either school bus or free public transportation) and to attend better schools than their zoned schools. Among students who attend choice schools, those who use transportation attend significantly better schools than their peers attending nearby choice schools, with bus riders experiencing the largest gains in school quality. Further, transportation appears to play a particularly important role for black and Hispanic bus riders, who are 30 to 40 percentage points more likely to attend significantly better schools than their same-race peers who attend choice schools but do not use transportation. These results point to the importance of pupil transportation in allowing urban children to access good schools.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Appendices; Figures;
  • Pagination: 31p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01746908
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jul 28 2020 5:30PM