Study on the Impact of School Choice on Commuting Distance in Seoul

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study analyzes how the 2010 high school School Choice in Seoul affected student commuting distances using school allocation data. The results show clear spatial heterogeneity: commuting distances increased substantially and persistently for students assigned to the Gangnam School District group, while changes were modest in Non-Gangnam School District groups. This indicates that commuting distance remains a central constraint in school selection and that students face practical limits in traveling long distances for educational opportunity. These patterns suggest that School Choice interacted with broader urban restructuring processes rather than functioning as an isolated educational policy. Overall, commuting distances gradually converged across districts, reflecting a rebalancing of spatial accessibility. The study highlights the need for educational and urban planners to jointly consider school group characteristics, housing development, and transportation networks when designing future school allocation policies.