Home-school distance among native and immigrant-origin lower secondary students in urban Northern Italy

Residential proximity to schools is a relatively unexplored topic, especially as concerns its link to socially disadvantaged and immigrant-origin students. Such students may be more likely to attend the nearest school to their home, since their (families’) knowledge of school system is weak and school selection depends more on convenience than on evaluation of multiple schools’ pros and cons. This paper examines if, and to what extent, home-school distance differentiates native and immigrant-origin students’ educational experiences. Analyses – carried out in two Northern Italian cities (Milan and Bologna) and referring to students enrolled in the compulsory and comprehensive final year of lower secondary education in the 2014/15 school year – focus on minimum and actual home-school distances, the share of students engaging in ‘flight’ from the nearest school, and the appeal exerted by schools on culturally advantaged families. Results show that native and immigrant-origin students’ school proximity is almost the same. Nonetheless, natives are more likely to attend schools that are farther from home; noteworthy differences are detectable in some disadvantaged areas. Native families, especially in Milan, are more likely to ‘flee’ towards non-state schools, which display a particularly strong appeal towards native families featuring high parental education status.