The impact of (a larger) school choice (set) on academic outcomes

Abstract

Using several data sources from Chile, we study the impact of school choice at the time of starting primary school. The combination of multiple cutoffs defining the minimum age at entry, and the difference across municipalities in the composition of the schools according these cutoffs enables us to study the contribution of school choice. Children living in the same municipality, and whose birthday differ by few days not only have their incentives to delay school entry affected, but they also face, in case of not delaying, a different set of schools. We show that the set of available schools induces a relevant shift in the opportunity to start in a better school measured by non high stake examination. Moreover, this quasi-experimental variation reveals an important reduction in the likelihood of dropping out, and a reduction in the probability that child would switch schools over her/his school life. Secondly, for a subsample of students who have completed high school, we observe that a larger school choice at the start of primary school, increases students’ chance of taking the national examination required for higher education and the likelihood of being enrolled in a selective college.