Student mobility refers to the movement of students between schools, which can be disruptive and impact academic outcomes. Prior research from the Kinder Institute highlighted student mobility networks in the Houston area by tracking student movement from campus to campus. This study looks at how student mobility and enrollment patterns were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key findings
- Student mobility for middle school and early high school students generally decreased during the pandemic, but picked back up when schools reopened. Moves during the pandemic tended to be more temporary than those made prior to the pandemic.
- Across grade levels, a majority of mobile students stayed within the Houston region.
- Some students left the Texas Public School System (TPSS) altogether, moving out of state, to a private school or dropping out. During and after the pandemic, the percentage of students leaving the Texas Public School System increased.
This study was made possible by lead funding from Rockwell Fund.
