The location of public schools: Evaluation of practical experiences

This paper discusses practical experiences resulting from the use of Operations Research techniques for the location of elementary public schools in large urban settings. The experiences reported are based on two counties of the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In these relatively poor areas walking is the most common means of traveling to school, and the ideal location is the one that minimizes the sum of the overall residence-to-school distances. The model used was the uncapacitated p-median, but current capacities of existing schools have been introduced in the interpretation of the results. In both counties, the study first evaluated the existing spatial distribution of schools and then proceeded to propose their ideal location. Both analyses lead to short- and long-run managerial suggestions. A description of the practical status of the study is also included.