Social Segregation and Academic Achievement in State-Run Elementary Schools in the Municipality of Campinas, Brazil

José Marcos Cunha, Universidade Estadual de Campinas
José Roberto Rus Perez, Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Maren Andrea Jimenez, University of Texas at Austin
Cibele Yahn de Andrade, Universidade Estadual de Campinas

Space is not solely a reflection of social inequality; the neighborhoods also work to reinforce the advantages or disadvantages associated with one’s social class. However, the study of how neighborhoods affect their residents has only recently entered the debate on urban poverty in Latin America. We use 2000 data from the Brazilian population census, school census, and the state of São Paulo’s educational evaluation system to analyze the relationship between school infrastructure, school academic achievement, and the neighborhoods in which these schools are located. Our analyses indicate that state-run elementary schools located in areas of concentrated poverty have lower academic achievement in Math and Portuguese than those in non-segregated and affluent areas of the city, even though these schools are all administered by the same government body. We end with a discussion of the relationship between Brazilian education policy and its influence on the spatial differences in São Paulo State.