I went to middle school in the 1980s, just after U.S. District Court Judge Robert Duncan in Ohio courageously ruled that Columbus needed to integrate public schools. Judge Duncan found that Columbus had systemically segregated the school system for decades and needed to correct it.
And so, from 1981 onward, my schools were virtually 50–50 Black and white. Among the “whites,” the school had about 10% Jews, and a smattering of other ethnicities, including Macedonian immigrants.
All of our classes were integrated. From the honors programs to computer science labs to the vocational program to train future auto mechanics. The cheerleading squads, sports teams, choir, dance teams and theater club all were integrated. Even the lunch tables were somewhat integrated.
I cannot quantify in numbers the benefits of this integration, but on the ground, it had profound tangible benefits.
For one, my classmates, white and Black, nearly all grew with a racially diverse group of friends, most of whom still maintain interracial relationships.
And regardless of politics, that’s why nearly everyone who went through that integrated system learned a noticeable respect for people of different races, backgrounds and ethnicities. The collective of former students navigates issues of race in a far more respectful and empathetic manner than people without this formative experience.
The impact on my Black classmates and friends was also profound.
My school year graduated 270 students. In the top 10 academically were four Black students, three Jews and three white kids. Our Black graduates of 1987 today include doctors, award-winning scientists, lawyers, social workers, stockbrokers and other professionals.
But more than just the successes, my graduating class wasn’t a pipeline for prison. Virtually none of the students — white, Black or other — gave into hopelessness no matter what society was throwing their way.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education promised a new era of educational equality, declaring that “separate but equal” had no place in American schools.
Judge Duncan over 20 years later continued that sentiment.
But now nearly 70 years after Brown, untold numbers of schools across the United States remain shockingly separate — and deeply unequal.
Welcome to 2025.
Studies show that American schools are more racially segregated today than they were in the late 1960s. Not a typo.
Not because of laws mandating separation, but because of housing patterns, economic inequality, and a series of legal decisions in the late 80s, 90s and 2000s that ended desegregation mandates like Judge Duncan’s.
While overt racism has faded from some of these school policies (although beginning to return), its legacy is alive and well in classrooms divided by race, class, and opportunity.
This resegregation is a recipe for disaster, no matter our political leanings. It undermines academic equity and, worse, it threatens the promise of a diverse democracy.
Consider:
📊 Key Data on Today’s Segregation:
School Segregation Has Increased Since the 1990s
- According to UCLA’s 2022 Civil Rights Project, the percentage of segregated schools (90%+ students of color) has more than doubled since 1988.
- In the Northeastern U.S., over 50% of Black students attend schools where 90–100% of students are non-white.
Segregation by Race and Income Go Hand in Hand
- Black and Latino students are seven times more likely than white students to attend high-poverty schools.
- On top of it, these schools are often underfunded, understaffed, and lack access to college prep courses or extracurricular programs.
White Students Are Isolated Too
- The average white student attends a school where nearly 70% of the student body is white. This is particularly weird since overall diversity in America has increased.
Neighborhood Zoning Promotes Segregation
- Roughly three-quarters of public-school students attend a neighborhood school, which reflects racially segregated housing patterns.
- This is exacerbated by school district borders that often intentionally divide communities along racial and economic lines (a practice called “school district secession”).
Charter Schools Accelerated Segregation
- Studies by the Brookings Institution and the National Education Policy Center have shown that some charter schools are more racially and economically segregated than traditional public schools in the same area.
Black and white students, and society at large, suffer from segregated schools.
For Black kids, they face disparities in school funding, resources and teacher experience. They lack the same access to advanced placement, STEM programs, arts and extracurricular activities. And they confront grossly disproportionate discipline and policing in segregated schools.
Segregated schools don’t just harm Black and Brown students — they also deprive white students and society as a whole of critical educational, social, and civic benefits. Here’s how.
White kids miss out on real-world preparation and are woefully unprepared to navigate diverse workplaces. Exposure to diverse peers improves critical thinking, empathy, and collaboration — all skills vital for leadership and innovation.
Segregated schools also contribute to narrow worldviews and perpetuate bias. White students in segregated schools often receive limited perspectives in curriculum, especially in history, literature, and social studies. Without firsthand interracial relationships, students are more susceptible to stereotypes, misinformation, and racial bias.
It might come as a surprise, but integrated schools tend to offer higher overall academic performance and more inclusive curricula. And they increase the richness of conversations.
Society also suffers from school segregation. When young people grow up in racially siloed systems, society experiences decreased civic trust, more polarization, and less social cohesion. We see it in real time right now. Diverse schools foster shared identities, reducing “us vs. them” thinking and nurturing a more unified democratic culture.
Segregation contributes to intergenerational poverty and underemployment, especially among Black and Latino students. That results in a weaker labor force, higher crime rates in certain areas, and greater demand on public services, all of which affect taxpayers and the national economy.
So even if you don’t give a shit about Black people, these problems are now at your doorstep.
But we can still reverse these devastating trends.
For one, we must employ grassroots integration efforts. That means advocating for inclusive school zoning and redistricting at the local level. It means organizing campaigns to challenge gerrymandered school zones that reinforce racial segregation. We can also get involved with school boards and see adoption of equity-focused rezoning plans that prioritize integration over property value.
It also means we can push for fair housing and affordable living. We can partner with housing justice organizations that seek to end exclusionary zoning (like single-family ordinances) that keeps many Black communities out of certain school zones. And we can pressure our local governments to build more affordable housing in those districts.
It turns out school board elections are important.
We also should promote community school models and magnet programs. That includes expanding magnet schools, dual-language programs and open enrollment initiatives designed to attract a diverse student body.
We can also work to create inter-district school options that allow students to cross district lines for a better education.
And finally, instead of destroying the Department of Education, we should be reinvesting in equitable education.
It’ll take a collective effort to make the necessary changes to reverse segregated schools yet again, but if we don’t, our problems today will look like child’s play in another decade.