School Mobility and Academic Achievement in a Standardized Educational System: Evidence from South Korea

In the United States, school mobility is relatively common and often linked to negative academic outcomes, yet little is known about its role in non-Western contexts with more standardized educational systems. Does the relationship between school mobility and academic achievement differ in contexts where schools are more uniform in curriculum, instruction, and academic expectations? This study addresses this question by examining the determinants and consequences of school mobility in South Korea, a country characterized by a highly standardized education system. Using nationally representative longitudinal data on fifth-grade students, this study finds that only 3.2% of students transferred schools between Grades 5 and 6—the final two years of elementary school in South Korea—including 0.7% who transferred for strategic reasons and 2.5% for nonstrategic reasons. Students from non-intact families were more likely to transfer for non-strategic reasons, whereas socioeconomically advantaged students were more likely to move strategically. However, school mobility had no significant association with achievement gains after accounting for covariates, regardless of transfer motivation. These findings suggest that while the motivations underlying school mobility may be similar across countries, its academic consequences are shaped by institutional contexts rather than representing a universal pattern.