Studies show that the quality of a child’s education is largely dependent on her family’s wealth, race, and residence. When a child living in deep poverty is educated in a poor school district, she has little exposure to the opportunities and experiences enjoyed by children in wealthier districts. Metro-wide school districts attempt to equalize educational opportunities for all students, raise regional academic achievement levels, and generate better relations across economic, ethnic, and racial lines. These districts often form by consolidating urban and suburban school districts within a region into one centralized unit, often on a county-wide scale.