Educational opportunity and public rental housing choice of rural migrant families in Chongqing, China

Abstract

This article examines how the location choices of rural migrants residing in public rental housing (PRH) are influenced by the presence of high-quality schools and their perception of education’s significance in their children’s upward mobility. In most Chinese cities, rural migrant children are denied access to urban public schools due to residency restrictions. However, Chongqing has implemented an alternative urbanization model, allowing rural migrant children to attend PRH-affiliated primary schools. The study investigates the impact of this policy through 42 semi-structured interviews with rural migrants residing in Chongqing PRH and 18 semi-structured interviews with local government officials. The findings reveal that rural migrants strategically select PRH accommodations to secure educational opportunities and enhance their children’s social mobility. The study also uncovers how schooling acts as a filter, differentiating rural migrant families based on their social resources and hukou locations. The article concludes that the Chongqing model establishes a unique housing-schooling relationship that mitigates educational inequality and social segregation. The findings contribute to the development of equitable access to education for rural migrant children in Chinese cities.