How Transportation Shapes School Choice: Evidence from Baltimore City Public Schools

July 06, 2025 | By Julia Burdick-Will, Marc Stein

Baltimore’s system of school choice requires students and families to select their high schools rather than be assigned one based on where they live. While this system provides flexibility, challenges related to distance and commuting remain, especially for those students who rely on public transportation to get to school. This study uses major changes to the bus system over time to examine the effect of commuting difficulty on school choice.

This study was was published in Social Science Research in May of 2025.