Coloring Outside the Color Lines: Racial Segregation in Public Schools and their Attendance Boundaries

  • Lower percentages of White students attend public schools than are in their school attendance boundary.
  • Racial populations in schools are largely determined by the racial composition of their attendance boundaries.
  • Private schools located in the attendance boundary of a public school have a strong, negative impact on white public school enrollment.
  • The effects of schools of choice on segregation patterns between Whites and Hispanics are even more pronounced than between Blacks and Whites.
  • Public schools would be less racially segregated if all children living in a school district attended their local, neighborhood schools.
  • Private, magnet, and charter schools contribute to overall racial segregation within many school districts.