Söderström, M. & Uusitalo, R., (2005)

‘School choice and segregation, evidence from an admission reform.’

Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation, Uppsala, Sweden, draft available here

• Assesses the effects of a change in the admissions system to upper secondary schools introduced in the Stockholm municipality in 2000.
• The reform allowed students to specify which school they wished to go to, with students with the highest grades given priority at over-subscribed schools. Previously students living closest to over-subscribed schools had been given priority.
• While admission based on grades would clearly increase segregation by ability, the authors test the hypothesis that it also increases segregation in other characteristics – gender, parental income, parental education and immigrant status.
  

Key results:

• The authors find evidence of increased segregation in all characteristics except gender.
• While segregation in schools has increased, however, residential segregation does not appear to have increased.