Evaluating the accessibility and equity of basic educational facilities in China during the poverty alleviation and elimination campaign (2015–2021)

• We developed the first national 30 m spatiotemporal dataset of BEFs accessibility. • We evaluated BEFs accessibility and equity across China during the PAEC period (2015–2021). • Accessibility in poor areas increased nearly twice as fast as in non-poor regions. • Urban-rural gap in BEFs accessibility narrowed. • Urban construction factors are the main drivers of BEF accessibility change. China’s poverty alleviation and elimination campaign (PAEC, 2015–2021) aimed to eliminate absolute poverty and reduce social inequality, making improvements in the accessibility and equity of basic educational facilities a key component. However, existing research on the accessibility of educational facilities in China has predominantly focused on developed urban areas or specific regions, lacking nationwide spatiotemporal assessments. To address this gap, this study systematically evaluates the accessibility and equity of basic educational facilities (kindergartens, primary, and secondary schools) across mainland of China during the PAEC. Travel time cost, derived using multi-source geospatial datasets and the nearest neighbor method, was adopted as the primary indicator for assessing educational accessibility and equity. The results revealed pronounced disparities in accessibility between Eastern and Western China. Overall, both the accessibility and equity of basic educational facilities improved substantially during the campaign, with the average travel time per person reducing by approximately 50%. Notably, the rate of improvement in impoverished regions was nearly double that observed in non-impoverished areas. Although widespread improvements in educational equity have occurred, the urban-rural disparity persists as a primary barrier to achieving comprehensive educational fairness. This study offers empirical evidence and methodological innovations for optimizing educational resource allocation and provides high-resolution temporal data to support the monitoring and evaluation of progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education.