Growing pains: The school consolidation movement and student outcomes

Between 1930 and 1970, average school size in the United States increased from 87 to 440 students and average district size increased from 170 to 2300 students, as over 120,000 schools and 100,000 districts were eliminated through consolidation. We exploit variation in the timing of consolidation ac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of law, economics, & organization economics, & organization, 2010-04, Vol.26 (1), p.1-29
Main Authors: Berry, Christopher R, West, Martin R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Allgemein bildende Schule
Bildungsverhalten
Censuses
Consolidated schools
Consolidation
Education policy
Educational attainment
Funding
High schools
Impact analysis
Outcomes of education
Public education
Public schools
School districts
School size
Schooling
Schools
Schulpolitik
Social movements
Stability Pact
State schools
Students
Studies
U.S.A
USA
Wages
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Summary:Between 1930 and 1970, average school size in the United States increased from 87 to 440 students and average district size increased from 170 to 2300 students, as over 120,000 schools and 100,000 districts were eliminated through consolidation. We exploit variation in the timing of consolidation across states to estimate the effects of changing school and district size on student outcomes using data from the Public-Use Micro-Sample of the 1980 US census. Students educated in states with smaller schools obtained higher returns to education and completed more years of schooling. Reduced form estimates confirm that students from states with larger schools earned significantly lower wages later in life. Although larger districts were associated with modestly higher returns to education and increased educational attainment in most specifications, any gains from the consolidation of districts were far outweighed by the harmful effects of larger schools.
ISSN:8756-6222
1465-7341
DOI:10.1093/jleo/ewn015