The objectives of this paper are to examine the impact of poverty on primary school enrollment and to
look for reasons behind never enrolled in school in Pakistan. The micro level data of Household
Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2010-11 is used for analysis. The children of age 6-12 year,
who are currently enrolled in primary school or out of school, are considered as a unit of analysis. The
paper employs logistic model to accomplish the objectives. The results reveal that school enrollment
is negatively related to poverty, household size, distance to the nearest school whereas school
enrollment is affected positively by age and gender of child (male), parental education, region of
residence (urban) and household assets. Household income does not play any significant role to
school enrollment. The region of residence (urban region) has significant positive effect on girls’
enrollment; however it is insignificant for boys. Availability of school matters more for girls’ school
enrollment than that of boys. We can safely conclude that poverty is a hurdle in the way of
educational attainment in Pakistan.