11 Facts About Racial Segregation in American Schools

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1. In 1991, the Oklahoma City v. Dowell case ended a federal order to desegregate Oklahoma schools. This case led to numerous court cases that have diminished desegregation efforts across the country.^[Mullins, Dexter. "Six Decades after Brown Ruling, US Schools Still Segregated." Al Jazeera America. September 25, 2013.]
2. 80% of Latino students and 74% of black students attend schools that are “majority nonwhite,” meaning that 50 to 100% of the students are minorities.^[C, Kristina. "10 Reasons Segregation in Schools Still Exists." Care2. September 25, 2012. http://www.care2.com/causes/10-reasons-segregation-still-exists-in-u-s-schools.html.]
3. The percentage of black students attending majority white schools has been in decline since 1988, and it is now at its lowest point in almost half a century. Sign up for Little Rock Nine Text to learn more about the sacrifices made during the Civil Rights Movement to ensure that everyone has access to equal education.^[Millhiser, Ian. "American Schools Are More Segregated Now Than They Were In 1968, And The Supreme Court Doesn’t Care." ThinkProgress. August 13, 2015. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/08/13/3690012/american-schools-are-more-segregated-now-then-they-were-in-1968-and-the-supreme-court-doesnt-care/.]
4. The average white student attends a school that is nearly 75% white, but only 1/8 Latino and 1/12 black.^[Breslow, Jason. "The Return of School Segregation in Eight Charts." PBS. July 15, 2014. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-return-of-school-segregation-in-eight-charts/.]
5. The average black and Latino students now attend schools where ⅔ of the children are from low-income families. In the early 1990s, such students went to schools where about 1/3 of the children were from low-income families.^[C, Kristina. "10 Reasons Segregation in Schools Still Exists." Care2. September 25, 2012.]
6. White families are often in a financial position to be able to move to school districts with better educational opportunities and resources. Black students, however, often live in impoverished areas and attend schools of lower quality.^[Hawkes, Lauren. "Racial Segregation in Schools Still Exists." ACLU. September 21, 2015. http://www.acluohio.org/blog-posts/racial-segregation-in-schools-still-exists.]
7. There is a rise in the amount of “apartheid schools”- schools in which students of color make up 99% of the population. In 2003, 1/6 of all black students were educated in “apartheid schools.” Many of these districts are underfunded and understaffed.^[Mcelwee, Sean. "Beyond Ferguson: 5 Glaring Signs That We’re Not Living in a Post-racial Society." Salon. August 24, 2014.http://www.salon.com/2014/08/24/beyond_ferguson_5_glaring_signs_that_were_not_living_in_a_post_racial_society/.]
8. The achievement gap between minority and white students continues to widen. Minority high schoolers are performing at academic levels equal to or below those of three decades ago.^[“American Schools Still Heavily Segregated By Race, Income: Civil Rights Project Report.” Huffington Post Education. September 20, 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/american-schools-still-he_n_1901583.html]
9. Southern California schools with majority black and Latino student populations are less likely to have qualified teaching staffs, rigorous mathematical curricula, students graduating on time, and students attending postsecondary institutions.^[Orfield, Gary, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, and John Kucsera. "Divided We Fail: Segregated and Unequal Schools in the Southland." Civil Rights Project, UCLA. March 18, 2011. http://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/metro-and-regional-inequalities/lasanti-project-los-angeles-san-diego-tijuana/divided-we-fail-segregated-and-unequal-schools-in-the-southfield.]
10. Chicago, New York, Detroit, Boston, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh are the metropolitan areas where black-white student dissimilarities are the most pronounced.^[C, Kristina. "10 Reasons Segregation in Schools Still Exists." Care2. September 25, 2012.]
11. In 2014, a Georgia school district held its first racially integrated prom. Yes, in 2014.^[Klein, Rebecca. “School District Holds First Official Integrated Prom (And Yes, You Are Reading This In 2014)” Huffington Post Black Voices. April 4, 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/02/wilcox-integrated-prom-2014_n_5072414.html]