Choice in the time of panic: local responses to growing school segregation in rural Hungary

Within the framework of school choice research, this paper presents a comparative case study of two rural primary schools in Hungary and their respective local contexts. It examines how the different levels of the ecological system around segregated schools are interconnected applying the process-oriented comparative case study approach and reflexive thematic analysis. The comparison uncovers differences in local specificities of ethnic segregation and leadership styles, although both schools suffered the consequences of increasing ethnic and socioeconomic segregation due to the deteriorating quality of public education, and the encouragement of school choice. In a divisive political context, different local strategies were adopted in response to segregation processes, shaped by interethnic relations, social arrangements, and attitudes towards the schools, their leadership and teachers. The study contributes to the understanding of school choice-driven segregation by highlighting its detrimental effects on local communities and even on families perceived as beneficiaries of the system.