Despite growing interest in the school choice especially since 2010 when the high school
choice policy was introduced in Seoul, few studies are performed to investigate on the
outcomes of school choice. While most of the school choice researches have been limited to
such topics as the effectiveness or pitfalls of the school choice itself, the effects of the school
choice on students and parents has been rarely conducted. Thus, this study examines the effects
of school choice on the level of assignment satisfaction and that of school satisfaction. Data
was collected from 34 high schools in the city of Seoul. The multi-level modeling was
employed as a major research method. As a result, the research findings are as follows. First,
the level of school satisfaction is more likely to grow when students and parents chose the high
schools taking into account more on the commuting distance, chances of getting accepted into
quality university, and learning atmosphere. Second, the more students could get into the
preferential school option and chose the schools based on their own decision, the higher the
level of school satisfaction is. Third, the level of assignment satisfaction and that of school
satisfaction respectively have a close relationship with the degree of preference of particular
high school. Finally, authors argue that the school choice policy is likely to deepen the gaps
between the popular high school option and less preferred school.