Date of Award

9-1-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

Public Administration

First Advisor

Megan Streams

Abstract

Gentrification is a process in which low-income urban neighborhoods experience reinvestment and an influx of higher socioeconomic status (SES) residents. There is a growing literature on the impacts of gentrification on public schools, including effects on enrollment, student achievement, and parent involvement. This study examined whether gentrification is related to voter turnout in school board elections in urban local education agencies (LEAs) in Texas. It also examined whether the relationship between gentrification and voter turnout varies depending on the availability of school choice options and the racial/ethnic differences between public school students and neighborhood populations. Using a fractional logistic regression model and a sample of 1,076 voting precincts, I found that precincts in gentrified areas have higher voter turnout in school board elections compared to precincts in non-gentrified areas. I did not find evidence of an interaction effect between gentrification and school choice options, and I found only weak evidence of an interaction between gentrification and the racial/ethnic composition of neighborhoods and schools. This study is among the first to examine the implications of gentrification for voter turnout and the first to do so for school board elections. The study findings generally support the resource model of voter turnout, but future research using individual-level data is needed to determine whether higher voter turnout in gentrifying areas is driven by newcomers, longtime residents, or both.

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