In 2006-07, approximately 24 percent of all public school students attended schools where the combined enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students was at least 75 percent, compared with 16 percent of public school students in 1990-91.

In 2006-07, approximately 24 percent of all public elementary and secondary students attended public schools in which the combined enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students was at least 75 percent (see table A-26-1). In comparison, over half of all Hispanic (57 percent) and Black (52 percent) students attended such schools—greater percentages than those of Asian/Pacific Islander (33 percent), American Indian/Alaska Native (29 percent), or White (3 percent) students attending such schools.

The percentage of students in schools where the combined enrollment of Blacks, Hispanics, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaska Natives was at least 75 percent varied across school locales in 2006-07, with a greater percentage of public school students in cities (48 percent) attending these schools than their peers in suburban areas (20 percent), towns (11 percent), or rural areas (7 percent). In cities, greater percentages of Hispanic and Black students attended such schools than did Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and White students. In suburban areas and towns, however, a greater percentage of Hispanic students attended these schools than did students of any other racial/ethnic background. In rural areas, a greater percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native students attended these schools than did students in any other racial/ethnic group.

Examining the composition of schools by specific racial/ethnic group provides a more detailed snapshot of the extent to which students are concentrated in schools with large percentages of students who are in a certain racial/ethnic group. Nationally, public schools in which 75 percent or more of the students were Black enrolled 31 percent of all Black public school students and 1 percent or less of public school students from each of the other racial/ethnic groups in 2006-07 (see table A-26-2). Similarly, public schools in which 75 percent or more of the students were Hispanic enrolled 33 percent of all Hispanic public school students, 3 percent of all Asian/Pacific Islander public school students, and 2 percent or less of all public school students from each of the other racial/ethnic groups. Public schools in which 75 percent or more of the students were White enrolled 62 percent of all White students, 23 percent of all American Indian/Alaska Native students, 18 percent of all Asian/Pacific Islander students, 8 percent of all Black students, and 7 percent of all Hispanic public school students.

The extent to which students in particular racial/ethnic groups are concentrated in public schools has changed over time. In 1990-91, public schools where Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, or American Indian/Alaska Native students comprised at least 75 percent of the student population enrolled 16 percent of all public school students, compared with 24 percent in 2006-07 (see table A-26-3). Three percent of White students attended such schools in 2006-07, an increase of approximately 1 percentage point from 1990-91. Enrollment for Black students in such schools, however, increased by 7 percentage points over the same time period. Increases in enrollments in these schools over this period were also seen for Hispanic students (6 percentage points), Asian/Pacific Islander students (3 percentage points), and American Indian/Alaska Native students (1 percentage point).

Technical Notes

Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. For more information on race/ethnicity and locale, see supplemental note 1.