American Economic Review: Insights
ISSN 2640-205X (Print) | ISSN 2640-2068 (Online)
Different Paths to College Success: The Impact of Massachusetts's Charter Schools on College Trajectories
American Economic Review: Insights
(pp. 160–78)
Abstract
The charter school movement encompasses many school models. In Massachusetts in the 2010s, the site of our study, urban charter schools primarily used "No Excuses" practices, whereas nonurban charters had greater model variety. Using randomized admissions lotteries, we estimate the impact of charter schools by locality on college preparation, enrollment, and graduation. Urban charter schools boost all of these outcomes. Nonurban charter schools raise college enrollment and graduation despite reducing state test scores and AP enrollment. Notably, the nonurban charter college graduation edge is more than twice as large as that from urban charter attendance.Citation
Cohodes, Sarah R., and Astrid C. Pineda. 2026. "Different Paths to College Success: The Impact of Massachusetts's Charter Schools on College Trajectories." American Economic Review: Insights 8 (2): 160–78. DOI: 10.1257/aeri.20240391Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H75 State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
- I21 Analysis of Education
- I23 Higher Education; Research Institutions
- I28 Education: Government Policy