Information and Access in School Choice Systems: Evidence from New York City

Blueprint Affiliate Viola Corradini examines how information about school quality affects racial gaps in school choice, studying New York City’s introduction of letter grades for its high schools. The ratings shifted Black and Hispanic students’ choices more than those of white and Asian students, narrowing racial gaps in both enrollment at high-quality schools and academic achievement. Using a structural model of school choice and surveys of families, Corradini finds these differences stem partly from less accurate perceptions of school quality and, more importantly, from different preferences for other school attributes.