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Explore the latest working papers and publications from our community of scholars. Here, you will find cutting-edge empirical research on socioeconomic disparities, barriers to social mobility, and the strategies to ameliorate inequality.

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Poor Neighborhoods, Bad Schools? A High-dimensional Model of Place-based Disparities in Academic Achievement

Working Paper

August 01, 2025

AuthorsGeoffrey Wodtke, Kailey White, Xiang Zhou

The University of Chicago Stone Center Working Paper Series

We examined differences in the elementary schools attended by students from high- versus- low-poverty neighborhoods and analyzed whether disparities in academic achievement are linked to these differences.

Persistent disparities in academic achievement between students from high- and low-poverty neighborhoods are widely attributed to differences in school quality. We wanted to empirically evaluate this common belief.

By 3rd grade, students from high-poverty neighborhoods show academic disadvantages compared to peers from low-poverty areas. Students from neighborhoods with poverty rates over 20% score about half a standard deviation lower on standardized reading and math tests. This gap is equal to ~5 months of lost learning. Understanding the etiology of these disparities is central to reducing them.

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