Compared to Their Classmates, Kids of Color More Likely to Be Removed by Schools
Black and American Indian kids are more likely — and in some instances much more likely — to be suspended and expelled from public school compared to their white, Latino and Asian classmates.
Students who are removed from school can quickly fall behind and struggle academically when and if they return to class, according to research.
Across the country, out-of-school suspension rates are highest for black students at 15%. In comparison, just 2% of Asian students, 4% of white students, and 6% of Latino students are suspended from public school.
The racial disparities deepen for data on expulsion rates. Black and American Indian kids are 10 times more likely than their Asian counterparts to be expelled from public school. These students are also expelled at twice the rate of their Latino classmates and 3 times the rate of white students, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection.
At the state level, expulsion rates for kids of color vary widely. For instance: In Florida, 4 in every 10,000 black students are expelled. At the other end of the spectrum, in Oklahoma, 401 in every 10,000 black students are expelled from school each year.
Learn more about suspension and expulsion rates in your state on the KIDS COUNT Data Center.
