School Desegregation and White Flight Revisited: A Spatial Analysis from a Metropolitan Perspective

  1. Jefferson County lost 20% white enrollment (net loss nearly 13,000) from 1987-2006 while its suburban counterparts, especially Oldham and Spencer where most of the new suburban growth had occurred, experienced a substantial increase in white enrollment.
  2. A one percentage increase in student poverty corresponded to a nearly .5 percentage decrease in the proportion whites enrolled in public schools.
  3. Minority percentages in neighborhoods where the public schools were located showed a significant negative correlation, suggesting a white aversion to minority presence.
  4. There was a negative relationship between urban location and white enrollment.
  5. The effect of median household income, educational attainment (of the parents) and desegregation status were positive and significant on the white private school enrollment rate.