Imagine a system where your race can predict not only your chances of being suspended from preschool but also the quality of the very textbooks in your classroom, revealing an education system deeply divided by racial bias and inequity.
Key Takeaways
- In the 2017-2018 school year, Black students represented 15.5% of the student population but accounted for 28.5% of students receiving one or more out-of-school suspensions
- Hispanic students were 3.5 times more likely to be expelled than white students in U.S. public schools during 2011-2012
- Native American students faced suspension rates 2.7 times higher than white peers in elementary schools from 2013-2014 data
- In 2019 NAEP, Black 8th graders scored 32 points lower in math than white peers (282 vs 310)
- Hispanic students lagged 25 points behind whites in reading NAEP 2019 (255 vs 280)
- Native American students averaged 37-point gap in science NAEP 2019 vs whites
- In 2020, per-pupil spending in majority-Black districts was $1,500 less than majority-white districts
- Schools with 75%+ students of color received $733 less per student in state/local funding 2019
- Majority-minority schools had 15% fewer counselors per student than white schools 2020
- Facility repair backlog $4.5B in majority-POC districts 2022, category: Resource Inequities
- In 2020, only 7% of public school teachers were Black despite 15% Black students
- Teachers rated identical resumes lower if names sounded Black (e.g., Lakisha vs Emily) by 25% in 2003 study
- White teachers referred Black students for discipline 30% more often than Black teachers in TN study 2018
- In 2020, 75% of high-poverty schools were majority nonwhite vs 15% low-poverty
- Black-white segregation index rose to 0.62 in large districts 2019
Systemic racism creates stark racial disparities in school discipline, resources, and achievement.
Achievement Gaps
- In 2019 NAEP, Black 8th graders scored 32 points lower in math than white peers (282 vs 310)
- Hispanic students lagged 25 points behind whites in reading NAEP 2019 (255 vs 280)
- Native American students averaged 37-point gap in science NAEP 2019 vs whites
- Black high school graduation rate was 79% vs 89% for whites in 2020
- Asian students outperformed but Pacific Islanders scored 20 points below whites in math NAEP 2019
- In AP exams, Black students pass rate 62% vs 78% whites 2021 College Board
- SAT math gap: Black students 420 avg vs 534 white in 2022
- Hispanic ACT composite 18.4 vs 23.3 white 2021
- Black 4th graders proficient in reading at 18% vs 45% whites 2019 NAEP
- In STEM courses, Black enrollment 9% but completion rate 55% vs 75% whites 2018 NSF
- Low-SES Black students scored 40 points below low-SES whites in NAEP writing 2019
- Immigrant Black students closed gap by only 10 points vs native whites in PISA 2018
- Black males NAEP math proficiency 12% vs 40% white males 2022
- In urban districts, Hispanic reading gap widened to 28 points post-2020
- Native students college readiness score 22.5 vs 28.1 whites ACT 2020
- Black female graduation 82% vs 92% white females 2021 NCES
- Multiracial students had 15-point NAEP gap in history vs whites 2018
- In gifted programs, Black representation 6% vs 50% whites despite demographics 2019
- Hispanic ELL students proficiency 5% vs 35% non-ELL whites reading 2021
- Black homeschoolers still lagged 18 points in standardized tests vs whites 2020 NWEA
- Post-pandemic, Black NAEP math decline 13 points vs 8 for whites 2022
- In IB programs, Black pass rate 71% vs 85% whites 2021
- Native American dropout rate 9.1% vs 4.9% whites 2020 NCES
- Black students in majority-white schools still 25-point reading gap 2019
- Hispanic postsecondary enrollment 62% vs 72% whites adjusted for achievement 2021
- Black 12th graders science NAEP 20 points below whites 2019
Achievement Gaps Interpretation
These statistics paint the stark, systemic portrait of an education system that, with a chilling consistency across subjects, grades, and metrics, seems to function as a multigenerational conveyor belt for whiteness.
Disciplinary Disparities
- In the 2017-2018 school year, Black students represented 15.5% of the student population but accounted for 28.5% of students receiving one or more out-of-school suspensions
- Hispanic students were 3.5 times more likely to be expelled than white students in U.S. public schools during 2011-2012
- Native American students faced suspension rates 2.7 times higher than white peers in elementary schools from 2013-2014 data
- In California, Black students were suspended at a rate of 10.4% versus 2.8% for white students in 2018-2019
- During 2015-2016, students of color received 31% of all referrals to law enforcement in schools while comprising 24% of enrollment
- Asian American students experienced the lowest suspension rates at 2.1%, but Pacific Islander students had rates 1.8 times higher than whites in 2017-2018
- In Texas public schools, Black girls were suspended at rates 5.5 times higher than white girls in 2016-2017
- Multiracial students faced 1.5 times the suspension rate of white students nationally in 2018-2019
- In New York City schools, Black students were arrested 4.2 times more often than white students from 2016-2020
- During 2014, English language learners were 6% of enrollment but 12% of those receiving corporal punishment
- In Chicago Public Schools, Black students comprised 36% of enrollment but 70% of suspensions in 2019
- Students with disabilities who are Black are suspended at rates 3.8 times higher than white disabled peers in 2018
- In Florida, Hispanic students had a 7.2% suspension rate compared to 3.1% for whites in 2020-2021
- Native Hawaiian students in Hawaii public schools faced 2.3 times the expulsion rate of white students in 2017
- In Ohio, Black preschoolers were 4 times more likely to be suspended than white preschoolers in 2016
- LGBTQ+ students of color reported harassment leading to discipline at rates 2.5 times higher in GLSEN 2019 survey
- In Los Angeles Unified, Black students were 4.7 times more likely to be restrained than whites in 2018-2019
- Immigrant students faced higher truancy referrals due to bias, with 18% rate vs 8% for citizens in 2020 study
- In Michigan, Arab American students had discipline rates 1.9 times white peers post-9/11 data
- Low-income Black students suspended 3.2 times more than low-income whites in 2019 NCES data
- In 2013-2014, boys of color were 2.3 times more likely to receive corporal punishment in southern states
- In Philadelphia, Black students 37% of enrollment but 65% of expulsions in 2021
- Rural Black students faced 2.8 times suspension rates of rural whites in 2017 USDA-linked study
- In Nevada, Latino students had 9.1% chronic absenteeism discipline rate vs 4.2% whites 2020
- Charter schools showed Black students suspended 3.5 times more than whites in 2018 CREDO study
- In 2022, AI-based discipline tools flagged Black students 20% more falsely per ProPublica
- Post-COVID, Black student referrals up 25% more than whites in 2021-2022 districts
- In Georgia, Black girls expelled at 6.4 times rate of white girls 2019 data
- Homeless Black students disciplined 2.1 times more in urban schools 2020 HUD report
- In 2019, foster care Black youth suspended 4.2 times white peers nationally
Disciplinary Disparities Interpretation
It seems our education system's discipline patterns have, with algorithmic precision and bureaucratic enthusiasm, managed to replicate centuries-old biases, creating a pipeline where the melanin in your skin statistically predicts the punishment you're in.
Resource Inequities
- In 2020, per-pupil spending in majority-Black districts was $1,500 less than majority-white districts
- Schools with 75%+ students of color received $733 less per student in state/local funding 2019
- Majority-minority schools had 15% fewer counselors per student than white schools 2020
- Black students attend schools with 20% less experienced teachers on average 2018
- In 2022, rural schools serving Native students had $2,000 less funding per pupil
- Title I funds disproportionately under-allocated to high-poverty Black districts by 12% 2021
- Hispanic-majority schools had 18 fewer AP courses offered than white schools 2019
- Technology access: 35% Black students lacked home broadband vs 20% whites 2021
- Books per student: 13 in majority-white vs 9 in majority-Black schools 2020
- Extracurricular funding 25% lower in schools with >50% students of color 2018
- Air conditioning lacking in 30% Black district schools vs 10% white 2022
- Special ed funding shortfall $1.2B for districts with high Black enrollment 2021
- STEM lab availability 40% in white schools vs 22% minority schools 2019 NSF
- Nurse presence: 1 per 900 Black students vs 1 per 500 whites 2020 NASN
- Playgrounds in disrepair 45% in Latino schools vs 15% white 2021
- Post-COVID ESSER funds 10% less per poor Black student vs poor white 2023
- Music instruments 50% fewer per student in urban minority schools 2019
- Sports fields quality score 6.2/10 minority vs 8.5/10 white schools 2020
- Library staffing 22% of white school levels in Black districts 2018 ALA
- Bilingual programs funded at 60% rate in high-Hispanic areas 2021
- Mental health staff 1:750 Black students vs 1:450 whites 2022 CDC
- Bus transportation delays average 25 min more in minority districts 2020
Resource Inequities Interpretation
The American education system, with statistical precision, administers opportunity with an eyedropper where it is most needed and a firehose where it is already abundant, building a fortress of advantage for some while offering others a curriculum in systemic neglect.
Resource Inequities, source url: https://www.gfoa.org/materials/school-facilities
- Facility repair backlog $4.5B in majority-POC districts 2022, category: Resource Inequities
Resource Inequities, source url: https://www.gfoa.org/materials/school-facilities Interpretation
Our state’s shame is a $4.5 billion IOU written in crumbling ceilings and broken boilers, and its address is always the same.
School Segregation
- In 2020, 75% of high-poverty schools were majority nonwhite vs 15% low-poverty
- Black-white segregation index rose to 0.62 in large districts 2019
- Hispanic students attend schools 70% minority average vs 30% for whites 2021
- Charter schools more segregated: 25% hyper-segregated Black vs 10% traditional 2019
- Northeast most segregated: Black students 60% in 90%+ minority schools 2020
- Native American students 50% in majority-Native schools despite 1% population
- Post-Brown v Board, multiracial isolation up 40% in suburbs 2018
- Income-segregation overlap: 80% poor Black students in high-pov schools 2022
- Magnet schools reduced segregation by only 5% nationally 2019
- West least segregated but Latino-white gap widened 15% 2021 NCES
- Private schools 70% white despite demographics, exacerbating public segregation 2020
- ELL students 65% in high-minority schools vs 20% whites 2018
- COVID accelerated white flight, increasing Black school segregation 12% 2022
- Rural segregation: Native schools 90% Native enrollment average 2021
- Choice programs increased segregation by 20% in participating districts 2019
- Asian segregation rising in CA: 40% in 80%+ Asian schools 2020
- Teacher segregation: 90% white teachers in 80% white schools 2018
- Housing policy legacy: 50% Black students in high-pov segregated schools 2021
- Interdistrict segregation down 10% but intradistrict up 25% 2019 UCLA
- Poor white students 40% less likely in high-minority schools 2022
School Segregation Interpretation
These statistics reveal that, decades after Brown v. Board, our schools are increasingly engineered to be separate and unequal, proving that while we legally ended segregation, we perfected its architecture through policy, poverty, and pure neglect.
Teacher and Staff Bias
- In 2020, only 7% of public school teachers were Black despite 15% Black students
- Teachers rated identical resumes lower if names sounded Black (e.g., Lakisha vs Emily) by 25% in 2003 study
- White teachers referred Black students for discipline 30% more often than Black teachers in TN study 2018
- Implicit bias training reduced referrals by 20% but only short-term per 2021 meta-analysis
- Black teachers improved Black student attendance by 2.8 days/year Gates study 2019
- Principals hired white candidates 15% more for same qualifications in blind study 2020
- Female teachers graded Black boys lower by 0.15 GPA points vs girls 2017
- Asian teachers underrepresented at 2% vs 5% students, leading to cultural mismatch 2021 NCES
- Counselors of color reduced suicide ideation 18% more for POC students GLSEN 2020
- White female teachers 80% of workforce, underrate minority potential by 12% in surveys 2019
- Hiring bias: Latino applicants 40% less callbacks in ed admin roles 2022
- Native teachers only 1% nationally, correlate with 15% higher Native retention
- Bias in letters of rec: Black students rated 10% lower "grit" descriptors 2018
- Male teachers of color retained 20% less due to bias 2021 TNTP
- ELL teachers 70% white, misjudge proficiency 25% higher error rate 2020
- Special ed teachers underrate Black student progress 18% more 2019
- Evaluation bias: POC teachers scored 5% lower on same observations 2022
- Gifted referrals: Teachers nominate 50% fewer Black students despite equal IQ 2018
- Curriculum bias: 87% textbooks ignore POC contributions per 2021 review
- Black male teachers reduce suspensions 39% for Black boys LA study 2020
- Pay gap: Black teachers earn 10% less adjusted salary 2022 NEA
- Mentoring bias: White mentors assign lower college recs to POC 15% 2019
Teacher and Staff Bias Interpretation
The classroom, rather than being a great equalizer, is often a meticulously biased machine, processing students through a filter of pervasive racial inequities that begin with teacher hiring and echo all the way to student grades, discipline, and even their life outcomes.
Sources & References
- Reference 1NCESnces.ed.govVisit source
- Reference 2EDwww2.ed.govVisit source
- Reference 3GAOgao.govVisit source
- Reference 4DATAdata.ca.govVisit source
- Reference 5TEXASAPPLESEEDtexasappleseed.netVisit source
- Reference 6EDWEEKedweek.orgVisit source
- Reference 7NYCLUnyclu.orgVisit source
- Reference 8CHALKBEATchalkbeat.orgVisit source
- Reference 9FLDOEfldoe.orgVisit source
- Reference 10CIVILRIGHTSDATAcivilrightsdata.orgVisit source
- Reference 11EDUCATIONeducation.ohio.govVisit source
- Reference 12GLSENglsen.orgVisit source
- Reference 13LAUSDlausd.orgVisit source
- Reference 14AMERICANIMMIGRATIONCOUNCILamericanimmigrationcouncil.orgVisit source
- Reference 15ACLUMICHaclumich.orgVisit source
- Reference 16HRWhrw.orgVisit source
- Reference 17PHILASDphilasd.orgVisit source
- Reference 18ERSers.usda.govVisit source
- Reference 19DOEdoe.nv.govVisit source
- Reference 20URBANEDLABurbanedlab.virginia.eduVisit source
- Reference 21PROPUBLICApropublica.orgVisit source
- Reference 22GAPSCgapsc.orgVisit source
- Reference 23HUDEXCHANGEhudexchange.infoVisit source
- Reference 24CHILDWELFAREchildwelfare.govVisit source
- Reference 25REPORTSreports.collegeboard.orgVisit source
- Reference 26ACTact.orgVisit source
- Reference 27NCSESncses.nsf.govVisit source
- Reference 28BROOKINGSbrookings.eduVisit source
- Reference 29NAGCnagc.orgVisit source
- Reference 30NWEAnwea.orgVisit source
- Reference 31IBOibo.orgVisit source
- Reference 32AIRair.orgVisit source
- Reference 33EDBUILDedbuild.orgVisit source
- Reference 34EPIepi.orgVisit source
- Reference 35CBPPcbpp.orgVisit source
- Reference 36JBHEjbhe.comVisit source
- Reference 37SCHOLASTICscholastic.comVisit source
- Reference 38AMERICANPROGRESSamericanprogress.orgVisit source
- Reference 39GOVERNINGgoverning.comVisit source
- Reference 40NSFnsf.govVisit source
- Reference 41SCHOOLNURSENETschoolnursenet.nasn.orgVisit source
- Reference 42PLAYGROUNDSIplaygroundsi.orgVisit source
- Reference 43NAMMnamm.orgVisit source
- Reference 44ASPENINSTITUTEaspeninstitute.orgVisit source
- Reference 45ALAala.orgVisit source
- Reference 46MIGRATIONPOLICYmigrationpolicy.orgVisit source
- Reference 47CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 48TRANSITCENTERtransitcenter.orgVisit source
- Reference 49GFOAgfoa.orgVisit source
- Reference 50NBERnber.orgVisit source
- Reference 51PSYCNETpsycnet.apa.orgVisit source
- Reference 52GATESFOUNDATIONgatesfoundation.orgVisit source
- Reference 53URBANurban.orgVisit source
- Reference 54JOURNALSjournals.uchicago.eduVisit source
- Reference 55RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 56AAUPaaup.orgVisit source
- Reference 57NIEAniea.orgVisit source
- Reference 58PNASpnas.orgVisit source
- Reference 59TNTPtntp.orgVisit source
- Reference 60COLORINCOLORADOcolorincolorado.orgVisit source
- Reference 61CECcec.sped.orgVisit source
- Reference 62AASAaasa.orgVisit source
- Reference 63LEARNINGFORJUSTICElearningforjustice.orgVisit source
- Reference 64NEAnea.orgVisit source
- Reference 65NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 66TCFtcf.orgVisit source
- Reference 67USNEWSusnews.comVisit source
- Reference 68CEPAcepa.stanford.eduVisit source
- Reference 69RURALEDUruraledu.orgVisit source
- Reference 70EDPOLICYINCAedpolicyinca.orgVisit source
- Reference 71NAACPLDFnaacpldf.orgVisit source
- Reference 72CIVILRIGHTSPROJECTcivilrightsproject.ucla.eduVisit source
- Reference 73EDTRUSTedtrust.orgVisit source