School segregation in Ecuador: a geographical analysis

Abstract

School segregation by socioeconomic level refers to the unequal distribution of students in educational centers according to their economic level. This article quantifies school segregation in Ecuador and its cantons in 2019 and analyzes its territorial distribution. Using the 2019 ‘Ser Bachiller’ database, four segregation indicators are calculated at the national and cantonal levels: the Gorard index in the equality dimension, and the Isolation index in the exposure dimension. The calculation is executed by defining quartiles of the Student Socioeconomic Index (ISEC) at the national level. Also, at the cantonal level, the Moran index is calculated to measure spatial autocorrelation. At the country level, school segregation is higher for students in quartile four compared to students in quartile one. Our results align with the literature in that higher concentrations of students from one socioeconomic level translates into lower levels of segregation in terms of equality (Gorard index) but higher levels of segregation in terms of exposure (Isolation index). Furthermore, spatial analyses suggest that the level of segregation of a canton depends not only on its conditions but also on those of its neighbors, creating clusters of high or low segregation.