Educational Migration and Rural Decline in China

China has witnessed considerable rural educational migration in the last decade. Many rural families have been sending their children to nearby urban schools, accompanied by an adult family member who relocates to live with the child in the urban setting. Drawing on 128 in-depth interviews and 814 questionnaires with rural parents/guardians of primary-school students, plus more than 100 teachers, villagers, and officials in one county, this study investigates this widespread type of educational migration and the adverse consequences on the social and economic development of villages.