Many large school districts use choice systems to allocate students to schools according to their preferences while respecting school capacity constraints. These choice systems have the potential to create more socioeconomic integration of schools than do traditional neighborhood school assignments. However, schools often give priority to neighborhood students, making it difficult for non-neighborhood students to access in-demand schools.
We worked with the Oakland Unified School District to understand the importance of neighborhood priorities to school assignments. In this working paper, we show that alternative priority rules that make it easier for low-income students to access preferred schools in high-income neighborhoods can dramatically reduce segregation across schools, without reducing the overall share of students who are offered their preferred schools.
Suggested citation: Rothstein, J., Umosen, I., Walters, C., (2026). School Choice and Segregation: Evidence from the Oakland Unified School District. Working Paper. University of California, Berkeley. https://capolicylab.org/school-choice-and-segregation-evidence-from-the-oakland-unified-school-district/