Trends in School Economic Segregation, 1970 to 2010

The authors wish to acknowledge Demetra Kalogrides and Lindsay Fox for providing excellent research assistance. Trends in the racial segregation of schools have been well documented, but less is known about trends in schools ’ economic segregation. Residential segregation among neighborhoods by income has increased since 1970, but it is unclear whether segregation among schools or districts followed suit. We use multiple data sources to document trends from 1970 to 2010 in between-district residential segregation and in both between-district and between-school enrollment segregation by income. We find that economic school segregation grew from 1970 to 1990 and again from 1990-2010. Segregation between districts increased for all families, for school-age children’s families, and for public school students’ families. Since 1990, segregation between students who are eligible and ineligible for free lunch increased both between districts and between schools. Rising economic segregation at both the district and school level likely has serious implications for inequality in students ’ access to resources and academic achievement