Uneven Distribution of Primary and Middle Schools: A Case Study of Changchun, China

Abstract

Providing further knowledge to and refinement of public facility location theory, this paper focuses on the distribution of basic educational facilities in China. The aim towards an equilibrium in the distribution of education resources has captured widespread attention in recent years. The basis of an education equilibrium is the balanced distribution of teaching facilities. Using the spatial analysis function of ArcGIS, this article discusses the evolution characteristics of education equilibrium and explores its dynamics with reference to primary and middle schools in Changchun City, Jilin Province from 2007 to 2013. The study found the spatial distribution of primary and middle schools in Changchun was uneven and the characteristic of close internal but sparse external has not changed. Low-level equilibrium of primary and middle schools in Changchun has been basically realized, but high-level equilibrium is far from being realized. Although there has been a trend towards suburbanization of these schools in recent years, the high entrance threshold has determined that high-quality school opportunity (schools with high-level resource allocation) has not increased for people. The spatial distribution of primary and middle schools is related to the factors of population, real estate, transportation and the education system itself. Education space, living space, and traffic space all interact and together affect urban spatial structure.