Between 1972 and 2007, the percentage of public school students who were White decreased from 78 to 56 percent. During this period, the percentage of students from other racial/ethnic groups increased from 22 to 44 percent; this increase largely reflects growth in the percentage of Hispanic students.

The shifting racial and ethnic distribution of public school students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade is one aspect of change in the composition of school enrollment. Between 1972 and 2007, the percentage of public school students who were White decreased from 78 to 56 percent (see table A-7-1). Accordingly, the percentage of public school students who were part of other racial/ethnic groups increased to 44 percent in 2007, up from 22 percent in 1972 and 32 percent in 1987. This increase over time largely reflects the consistent growth in the percentage of students who were Hispanic. In 2007, Hispanic students represented 21 percent of public school enrollment, up from 6 percent in 1972 and 11 percent in 1987. Since 1987, the percentage of public school students who were Hispanic has increased more than the percentage of students who were White, Black, or members of other racial/ethnic groups. During this period, the percentage of students who were Black decreased from 17 percent in 1987 to 15 percent in 2007, with the percentage of Hispanic enrollment measurably surpassing that of Black enrollment for the first time in 2002. Students from other racial/ethnic groups—Asian (4.1 percent), Pacific Islander (0.3 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8 percent) students, and students of more than one race (2.6 percent)—made up about 7.8 percent of public school enrollment in 2007.

The racial/ethnic composition of public schools differed by region, though the combined enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Native Alaska students generally increased as a percentage of the total enrollment in all regions between 1987 and 2007 and during the broader period of 1972 and 2007 (see table A-7-2). In each year from 1972 to 2007, the West and South had larger enrollments of these students than the Northeast and Midwest did.

In 2007, the West had the largest enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Native Alaska students of any region. Beginning in 2003, the percentage of these students exceeded the percentage of Whites in the total enrollment, and by 2007, enrollment for these students comprised 57 percent of the total in this region. In the West, Hispanic enrollment has been the largest, aside from White enrollment, since 1972, with the percentage of students who were Hispanic more than doubling (from 15 to 39 percent) by 2007. Between 1972 and 2007, the percentage of Blacks enrolled generally remained stable (between 5 and 7 percent), while the percentage of Whites enrolled decreased from 73 to 43 percent.

In the South, the combined enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Native Alaska students increased from 30 percent in 1972 to 49 percent in 2007. The majority of this growth was due to an increase in the percentage of Hispanics enrolled. Although Blacks have maintained the largest percentage of enrollment in the South, aside from Whites, the percentage of Black enrollment generally remained at around 25 percent between 1972 and 2007. During this period, the percentage of Hispanic enrollment grew from 5 to 19 percent, while White enrollment decreased from 70 to 51 percent.

Between 1972 and 2007, the combined enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Native Alaska students in the Northeast increased from 19 to 36 percent. The percentage of Hispanic enrollment increased from 6 to 15 percent from 1972 to 2007, while the percentage of Blacks enrolled in 1972 was not measurably different than the percentage in 2007. White enrollment decreased from 81 to 64 percent during this period.

In the Midwest, the combined enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Native Alaska students increased from 12 to 28 percent between 1972 and 2007. Black students have remained the largest group—aside from White students—in the region, but Hispanic enrollment increased more than Black enrollment during this period. Between 1972 and 2007, the percentage of Black students enrolled increased from 11 to 13 percent, while Hispanic enrollment increased from 2 to 9 percent. Although White enrollment decreased from 88 percent in 1972 to 72 percent in 2007, among all regions, the Midwest has maintained the highest percentage of Whites enrolled during this period.

Technical Notes

Estimates include all public school students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. For more information on race/ethnicity and region, see supplemental note 1. For more information on the Current Population Survey (CPS), see supplemental note 2.