Which School? Criteria and Priorities Driving Households’ Agency in School Choice in a Quasi-market Educational System. The Case of Milan

This contribution aims at providing some new evidence and insights to the studies about school choice as a driver for school segregation in urban contexts, especially those characterized by a quasi-market educational system. It aims at disentangling some of the criteria lying behind the school choice accordingly to the different households’ profiles, in terms of level of education and professional status. Data presented have been collected between May and October 2021 through a survey addressing parents living in Milan and enrolling their children in primary school. The decision to opt-out of the local school appears to depend on the composition of the local school, but the factors driving towards the school of destination are still unclear and significantly heterogenous among households. This analysis investigates these factors and tries to disentangle the choice mechanisms for different households’ profiles.