POLICY-CONSTRAINED PARENTAL CHOICE AND SCHOOL DISTRICT SEGREGATION: Evidence from Local and Migrant Families in Suzhou, China

Abstract

In this article we investigate how school district policies in China contribute to urban segregation by focusing on educational enrolment, family selection and transformational mechanisms. We employ a mechanism-based approach to examine how the hukou system and housing policies shape parental school choices to reinforce sociospatial segregation. Suzhou, a rapidly urbanizing city where over 90% of children attend public schools, serves as a case study. Semi-structured interviews with local and migrant families reveal the significant role of school district boundaries in perpetuating educational inequality and residential sorting. Through thematic analysis we identify key drivers of segregation, including school preferences, school choice strategy, perceptions of school district segregation and educational policy attitudes within the educational system. Despite government initiatives such as the Nearby Enrolment Policy (NEP) and Score-Based Enrolment Policy (SEP) aimed at promoting equity, these mechanisms often exacerbate existing disparities. Under the concepts of ‘parentocracy’ and ‘enterprising self’, advantaged families secure housing in sought-after school districts, while disadvantaged migrant families rely on local networks for support. Low-scoring migrants face exclusion from high-quality schools, which deepens sociospatial segregation. In this research we furthermore explore the impact of Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) and the rise of ‘Xing’ branded schools within this evolving landscape.