Optimising the Spatial Assignment of Schools to Provide Equal Educational Opportunities in China: Multi-School Zoning or A Random Approach

This study investigates spatial access equity in school enrolment, defined as fair opportunities for students to enroll in high-quality schools. It introduces controlled randomization into assignment systems to mitigate persistent spatial and socioeconomic disparities. Access equity is conceptualized through two dimensions: minimizing variance in educational quality across assignments, and achieving probabilistic closeness to a uniform distribution where students have equal chances of accessing any school. Randomization generates more balanced access opportunities than proximity-based systems, but consistently increases average home-school distances, highlighting a tension between fairness and commuting burden. Comparative analysis reveals contextual heterogeneity: randomization yields greater equity gains in less developed districts with dispersed resources, while benefits are limited in affluent districts with concentrated school quality. The study concludes that while randomization can enhance procedural equity, durable progress requires parallel efforts to equalize inter-school quality and tailor policies to local structural conditions.