Tracking to Retain Higher-Income Students: Evidence from the Addition of Advanced Courses

July 2026

Public schools may introduce academic tracks to attract or retain higher-income students. The role of intra-school policies in shaping higher-income families’ demand for public schools has been underexplored. Using variation in the timing of advanced course introductions in Texas high schools, I find that adding an advanced course increases lower-income students’ share of higher-income classmates. The increase is driven by a rise in the overall share of higher-income students in the school, which offsets increased within-school sorting by income. These results provide new insight into how academic tracking intersects with school choice, revealing potential unintended benefits for socioeconomic integration.

Keywords

Advanced Courses; Tracking; Sorting; Stratification

Education level

K-12 Education

Topics

School Choice