Neighborhood Effects on Educational Attainment: A Multilevel Analysis

This study tests for the existence of neighborhood effects on educational attainment among some 2,500 young people who left school between 1984 and 1986 in one education authority (school district) in Scotland. It links survey data with area data from the 1981 Census of Population and uses hierarchical linear regression modeling to test for neighborhood effects and to estimate the contribution of neighborhood deprivation to any effects. After controlling for pupil ability, family background, and schooling, the authors find a significant negative association between deprivation in the home neighborhood and educational attainment. There is little evidence of additional neighborhood effects that could not be explained by our models. The findings suggest that policies to alleviate educational disadvantage cannot be focused solely on schooling, but must form part of a broader initiative to tackle social deprivation in the society at large