Population Migration and Children’s School Enrollments in China, 1990-2005

While population migration has been surging in China since 1990, little attention is paid to the impact of migration on children’s educational wellbeing. In this paper we analyze the micro-data of Chinese population censuses in 1990 and 2000 and mini-census in 2005. We match the school-age children (6-15) to their parents’ background information within the same households, and examine how parents’ migration status and family living arrangements affect children’s school enrollment status. We also compare migrants’ children to their peers in both origin and destination counties/districts. Results show that migration status per se has no clear impact on school enrollments since 1990; however, migrant children of rural status face disadvantages in educational opportunities in 2000 and 2005. Mother’s migration and living with relatives other than parents and grandparents have negative impact on children’s enrollment status. The distance and timing of migration also affect children’s enrollment status.