Does Neighborhood Really Matter? Associations Between Neighborhood Characteristics and Educational Success

Only a few studies have examined the possible effects of neighborhood characteristics on educational success in Germany. According to epidemic theories, neighborhood effects are nonlinear and occur only when certain thresholds are met. We investigated the effects of socioeconomic neighborhood characteristics on students' academic achievement while considering possible confounding effects of individual and family characteristics as well as the school composition. The data basis came from the cross-sectional IQB Trends in Student Achievement studies in 2015 (N = 1467, 9th grade) and 2016 (N = 1546, 4th grade) merged with sociospatial data from the Bremen State Office of Statistics. Findings from cross-classified multilevel models reveal that neighborhood characteristics are associated with academic achievement. These associations are mainly attributed to the confounding effects of individual, family, and school characteristics. We find no evidence for nonlinear effects or differences in neighborhood effects between the two age groups. The study's findings contribute to the discourse on the consequences of sociospatial segregation for educational inequality.