How Housing Could be Affecting Your Child’s Education in Boston
Housing has had a lasting impact on education. Redlining was a practice that was created after the Great Depression to help lenders evaluate the risk of mortgages in certain areas. However, it often led to white communities being considered lower risk while minority and immigrant communities were often considered higher risk. Redlining was a key discriminatory practice that led to inequality in Boston. Schools in redlined areas often have lower test scores and graduation rates (The Education Trap, Groeger). Worse education access and opportunities lead students in formerly redlined areas to have a harder time getting higher education and stable employment. Redlining also led to inequality through its impact on minority students. Even today in formerly redlined areas, there are more minority students than in areas that weren’t redlined. Housing has a strong influence on education as schooling is tied to housing. The school a student goes to often depends on the location of their home. In areas with lower average incomes, children often have fewer resources and lower-quality education. This is prevalent in the school systems in Boston. Resources and access to education vary by district ZIP codes with the highest quality of public elementary schools have a median home price ($486,104) 4 times larger than the average neighborhood with the lowest quality of public elementary schools ($122,051) (UCLA, Lee).
Why does it matter?
Today, there are many children who grow up with unequal access to education. They unfortunately have less opportunities and chances to grow as a learner. Children with lower quality education gain less stable and lower paying jobs, are less likely to graduate from high school and college, and are more likely to live in poverty (UCLA, Lee). In addition, minorities face much harder challenges due to education. On average, schools with high minority and poverty rates had much lower graduation rates and standardized test scores (The Education Trap, Groeger). The location of housing has affected education due to the quality of school districts. School districts have significant variability based on socioeconomic status and race. In lower socioeconomic locations in Boston, it’s more common for school systems to train for working-class jobs with lower wages, while elite schools are more likely to prepare for higher education and higher paying jobs (The Education Trap, Groeger). This leads to a system where based on housing location, certain schools and students are able to get an advantage over others based on where they live.
Ways to help!
There are many charities and organizations that help kids get access to education! Some of them include Boston Partners and Stepping Stone. These organizations provide in-school volunteer support and online learning. They also connect people nationally and have mentoring programs. Reach out today if these resources could be helpful with the links below.
https://www.steppingstone.org/
Sources
Groeger, Christina Viviana. "The Education Trap: Schools and the Remaking of Inequality in Boston." Taylor and Francis Online Journal, 11 Apr. 2022, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14664658.2021.2015523. Accessed 3 July 2025.
Lee, Chungmei. "Racial Segregation and Educational Outcomes in Metropolitan Boston." eScholarship, 2004, escholarship.org/uc/item/2qg7c8x1. Accessed 31 June 2025.
