School choice as a relational urban process: networks and sociospatial inequality in Chile

This study examines the spatial and social dimensions of school co-selection in Antofagasta, Chile, a municipality characterized by pronounced sociospatial inequalities and a market-oriented education system. Using data from the School Admission System (Sistema de Admisión Escolar, SAE) for 14,946 families, the analysis employs two quantitative approaches. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is used to model the structure of school co-selection patterns among families, while Geographically Weighted Principal Component Analysis (GWPCA) assesses the spatial variation of these co-selection dynamics throughout the urban area. The results demonstrate that school choice decisions are shaped by a primary dimension of centrality, as well as patterns of local cohesion and fragmentation associated with socioeconomic inequality. Certain areas exhibit dense, well-integrated co-selection structures, while others display restricted and fragmentated choice sets. These findings suggest that school choice is a socially interdependent and territorially embedded process. The study recommends that public policy interventions address both spatial inequalities and the social and territorial environments that influence families’ access to educational opportunities.