Seeking opportunity or socio-economic status? Housing and school choice in Sweden

Families with young children face tough choices about where to live which can have profound implications for their children’s schooling. In our recent study, “Seeking opportunity or socioeconomic status? Housing and school choice in Sweden,” we embarked on a research quest to unravel the dynamics of residential decisions and their impact on school choices within Sweden’s educational system.

Sweden, renowned for its comprehensive welfare state and universal school choice policy, serves as an intriguing backdrop for our investigation. Despite the freedom afforded by universal school choice, public school admissions in Sweden are partly guided by proximity-based allocation rules. This juxtaposition raises critical questions about the role of residential decisions in shaping educational opportunities for families across the socioeconomic spectrum. Against the backdrop of escalating income disparities and residential segregation, our research question arise: Do parents in Sweden leverage the housing market as a pivotal conduit for selecting schools, and if so, what kinds of schools do they opt for?

To answer these questions, we draw upon full-population administrative data, enabling us to study the geographic mobility patterns of families with children nearing school age based on income and wealth parameters. Through statistical methods, we analyse variations in mobility behaviour among families whose eldest children are aged either five (before school enrolment) or six (after school enrolment). We also compare the characteristics of schools attended by relocating children with those who remain in their original neighbourhoods. This analysis sheds light on the types of schools that parents find most appealing during relocation and elucidates the disparities vis-à-vis the schools they would have otherwise attended. Specifically, we study student peer-group socioeconomic status, test scores, and test scores adjusted for peer-group socioeconomic status—a proxy for the so-called ’value-added’ of a specific school.

Our study reveals a noteworthy trend: families indeed utilise the housing market strategically in the lead-up to their child’s school initiation. However, this strategic mobility is not necessarily aligned with finding academically superior schools. Rather, our analysis illuminated a pattern wherein families opt for neighbourhoods characterised by a higher socioeconomic standing, without necessarily corresponding to enhanced school quality.

These findings hold implications for educational equity and social mobility. The observed pattern of residential mobility underscores the perpetuation of socioeconomic disparities within the educational system, driven in part by the housing market. Despite Sweden’s ethos of egalitarianism, the stark reality of residential segregation and its implications for educational opportunities cannot be overlooked. By fostering a deeper understanding of the factors shaping housing and school choice dynamics, our papers contribute new evidence regarding the constraining factor of the housing market for educational opportunities.

Policy interventions aimed at fostering greater equity in access to quality education must consider the multifaceted dynamics shaping housing and school choices. From reforms of housing policies to efforts aimed at enhancing school quality in underserved communities, there exists a pressing need for holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to educational opportunity.

Our study stands out for addressing the complex interplay between housing and education in the context of traditional compensatory welfare schemes combined with universal school choice. By leveraging comprehensive administrative data, we were able to provide fresh insights that challenge conventional assumptions and pave the way for future research avenues aimed at fostering greater equity in education.

Read the full article on Urban Studies OnlineFirst here.