Perceptions of School Quality and Their Impact on Residential Mobility Decisions

Joshua Freely, Temple University
Kimberly Goyette, Temple University

Researchers who study migration have long recognized that residential satisfaction influences residents’ desires and motivations to move. One under-studied component of residential satisfaction, particularly for parents with children, is the perception of local school quality. In this research, we use the Philadelphia Area Survey, a unique data set that links information about residents, their local schools, and their neighborhoods, to investigate the extent to which perceptions of local school quality influence the desire and the motivation of residents to move. Further, we consider whether or not the characteristics of local schools affect residents’ desires to move, above and beyond perceived school quality. Finally, we investigate whether race and parents’ education influence the impact of perceived school quality on the desire and motivation to move, and whether or not school characteristics like racial composition have more influence on the desires and motivations of whites to move compared to Blacks.