Does moving young matter? Examining the relationship between childhood residential mobility and mathematics scores

Although considerable research looks at the effects of mobility on various outcomes, few studies differentiate between changes schools versus changing dwellings, even though the effects are likely to be different in terms of academic performance. In this paper, we rely on a random effects regression model using a longitudinal survey containing roughly 700,000 families over a 16-year period to differentiate between these two types of mobility. First, we look at the impact that family mobility, defined as a move by at least one parent and at least one child, has on the mathematics scores of the child. Second, we differentiate between residential mobility and school mobility. We find that moving schools and/or houses increases the likelihood of having poor mathematics scores. This effect is particularly evident when both a change in residence and switching schools occur concurrently, which has a multiplicative impact on mathematics scores.