Impact of a Charter School on House Capitalization in a Title I Environment

This study used a mixed-methods approach to determine whether a charter school could influence house capitalization and whether it could induce some families to stay in the school district. It examined home sale values around a charter school in an area covered by underperforming Title I schools. There was a positive but statistically insignificant change in a pre/post comparison of home sale prices, but the increase was consistent with nearby control schools. However, a survey of charter school families found that 25 percent would have left the district had they not been enrolled at the charter school. A plurality said they would leave the district upon completion of their child’s time at the charter school. This study finds that the charter school kept some residents in the school district, but the number of families was not large enough to register in the study of home sales