Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

In this study, we describe patterns of access that families living in Detroit have to schools. Detroit students may enroll in charter schools, other traditional public schools inside their district, and schools in nearby districts in addition to their neighborhood school. Many students exercise these options with approximately 42% of students living in Detroit attending charter schools and 19% attending schools outside of the city limits. Furthermore, public transportation in Detroit is inefficient. On average, students have the ability to travel to seventeen times more schools in fifteen minutes by private car than by city transit. We describe access to schools by mapping where schools are located, measuring distances that students travel to school, investigating which groups of students are more likely to travel farther to school, and enumerating the schooling options available within a reasonable distance from home. Because the quality of schools may matter more than the quantity of schools for mitigating educational inequalities, we also examine distances from home to the nearest quality school, the location of these schools, and who attends them. Additionally, we explore differences in distance traveled and availability of schools for various types of vulnerable student populations as well as across areas of the city.