School Desegregation and White Flight Revisited: A Spatial Analysis from a Metropolitan Perspective

Abstract

Recent studies on school choice have observed a continuing trend of white flight from urban public schools in response to the rising number of poor minority students. However, few researchers have investigated contemporary patterns of white flight in the context of school desegregation, even though a large number of school districts in the United States are still being integrated. This article explores the effects of school desegregation plans on the departure of white students for suburban districts and into private schools across metropolitan Louisville. A spatial analysis of the latest public- and private-school data suggests that desegregation is significantly related to these forms of white flight after controlling for suburbanization and other contextual variables. This research also has potential implications for school integration and assignment policies.

Keywords:

• School desegregation
• white flight
• proximity
• private schools