High School Choice and Expected College Belonging

Using data on incoming freshmen from 2018-2020 at the University of California, Davis, we analyze whether California students from private or charter high schools, compared to students from traditional public schools, arrive at college with a higher sense of expected belonging, more positive feelings, or higher expectations about adopting positive coping behaviors. Although outcomes differ somewhat for charter and private school students, almost all significant differences are explained by student and high school characteristics. Remaining significant differences are negligible in magnitude and not stable across the three years. Nor are the differences systematically moderated by student demographic characteristics.