School Choice and Post Hoc Family Preference in Spain - Do They Match Up?

Sep 30, 2026

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School choice is shaped by differences in access to schools and by parental preferences, which may not translate into equal outcomes for students. This study sets out three objectives: (1) test whether preferences for public, publicly-funded private, or private schools vary by family traits; (2) measure how far parents’ post hoc preferred school types align with the schools their children attend; and (3) identify social groups with lower alignment. Using a representative national survey sample (2012), results show preferences differ by educational level, economic status, religious orientation, and town size, with stronger divergences among families with fewer socio-economic resources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

School choice, quasi-markets, and educational inequality

education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal Arizona State University | Volume 28 Number 3 | January 13 , 2020 | ISSN 1068-2341 | | --- | --- | --- | School Choice and Post Hoc Family Preference in Spain: Do They Match Up? Jesús Rogero-García Universidad Autónoma de Madrid & Mario Andrés-Candelas Universidad Complutense de Madrid Spain Citation: Rogero-García, J, & Andrés-Candelas, M. (2020) . School choice and post hoc family preference in Spain: Do they match up? Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28(3) . [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.4354](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.4354) Abstract: The process of school choice depends on a wide range of circumstances including those related to the accessibility to schools and parental preferences. This paper has three goals: (1) Identify whether the preferences for the different kinds of schools (public, publicly-funded private, or private) vary according to the family’s traits; (2) estimate the degree of concurrence between the kind of school their children attend and the kind of school the parents prefer aposteriori; and (3) identify which social groups demonstrate lower levels of concurrence. We used a sub-sample of people with children registered in compulsory grades or post-compulsory grades up to university from representative national survey (2012) . Results show that post hoc school preferences differ by educational level, economic status, religious orientation, and size of town. Likewise, we find divergences between the school parents prefer and the school their children attend, something that occurs more frequently among those with less economic resources. Keywords: school access; school segregation; parental preferences; social inequality Elección de centro educativo y preferencias familiares en España: ¿Coinciden? Resumen: El proceso de elección-asignación de centro educativo depende de un amplio conjunto de circunstancias, incluyendo aquellas relacionadas con la accesibilidad de las familias a las escuelas y con las preferencias de los padres y madres. Este trabajo tiene tres objetivos: (1) Identificar si las preferencias por los diferentes tipos de centro (público, concertado y privado) varían según las características de las familias; (2) estimar el grado de coincidencia entre el tipo de centro que prefieren los padres y el tipo de centro al que asisten sus hijos; y (3) identificar qué grupos sociales demuestran menores niveles de coincidencia. Se utiliza información del Estudio CIS 2935, realizado en 2012. Los resultados muestran preferencias diferenciadas según tamaño de municipio, niveleducativo, situación económica y orientación religiosa. Asimismo, en una parte significativade los padres se observan divergencias entre el centro preferido y el centro al que asisten sus hijos, algo que ocurre con mayor frecuencia entre quienes disponen de menos recursos socioeconómicos. Palabras-clave: acceso a las escuelas; segregación escolar; preferencias familiares; desigualdad social Escolha de escola e preferências familiares em Espanha: Correspondem? Resumo: O processo de escolha da escola depende de uma vasta gama de circunstâncias, incluindo as relacionadas com acesso das famílias às escolas e as preferências dos pais. Estetrabalho tem três objetivos: (1) Identificar se as preferências pelos diferentes tipos de escola (pública, charter e privada) variam de acordo com as características das famílias; (2) estimar o grau de coincidência entre o tipo de escola preferido pelos pais e o tipo de escola frequentada por seus filhos; e (3) identificar quais grupos sociais demonstram níveis maisbaixos de coincidência. São utilizadas informações do Estudo CIS 2935, realizado em 2012. Os resultados mostram preferências diferenciadas de acordo com o tamanho domunicípio, nível educacional, situação econômica e orientação religiosa. Da mesma forma, em uma parte significativa dos pais, obse

FAQs

What does the paper investigate about school choice in Spain?

It examines whether family preferences for different school types match the schools children actually attend, and whether lower alignment appears among particular social groups.

How many goals does the study set and what are they?

The paper sets three goals: compare preferences across school types by family traits, estimate alignment between preferred and attended school types, and identify social groups with lower alignment.

What factors are found to influence post hoc school preferences and alignment?

Preferences vary by educational level, economic status, religious orientation, and town size, while divergences between preferred and attended schools occur more often among families with fewer socio-economic resources.

Sep 30, 2026

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