The Effects of Centralized School Assignment on Public School Enrollment

An important benefit of modern school choice programs may be increased student retention in large urban districts. The effects choice frameworks have on enrollment are especially important today, as traditional public school enrollment as a share of total enrollment has fallen sharply since the pandemic. This paper, written by Alison Fang, Blueprint PI Joshua Angrist’s Masters student, asks whether and how the design of centralized assignment schemes, such as those used in numerous large urban districts, affects enrollment.