High-crime environments and educational efficiency: A spatial case study

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between urban crime and educational efficiency in 301 schools in Cali, Colombia in the year 2018, including results from the Saber 11 standardized test and school pass rates. The main objective is to assess how high-crime environments, measured by homicide rates, influence the loss of educational efficiency. To achieve this, a non-parametric approach is applied, incorporating homicides as an environmental variable. The analysis reveals three key findings. First, accounting for homicides in studies of educational efficiency proves essential in areas with elevated crime rates. Second, a significant negative association between homicides and school efficiency is observed, with schools experiencing an average efficiency loss of 1.05% when operating in high-crime areas. Third, the relationship between homicides and the loss of educational efficiency follows an inverted U-shaped pattern, suggesting that the effects of crime on education are complex and nonlinear.