Does parental migration matter in access to academic high schools for left-behind children in China?

Enrolling in academic high schools always predicts one can have higher educational achievements, such as access to university later. Using data from China Family Panel Studies, this paper examines whether and how parental migration affects the high school attainment of left-behind children. Results indicate that exposure to parental migration in childhood lowers the probability of attending vocational high school but increases the likelihood of enrolling in academic high school. The effect is more substantial for the left behind children who are from rural areas, with siblings, or second-born or later. The findings also suggest a potential psychological mechanism that inhibits the educational achievement of left-behind children. Specifically, left-behind children exhibit lower expectations for educational attainment and hold beliefs that individual success is attributed to external factors, which may discourage them from pursuing higher education achievements. Further, migrant parents also show lower expectations for their children's educational attainment. Our findings highlight the crucial role of psychological manifestations induced by parental migration in determining high school attendance and offer insights for developing policies aimed at promoting educational equity.