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Ethnic Segregation of Public Schools in California Has Persisted Over the Last 20 Years, and Remains Tied to Socio-Economic Segregation
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Ethnic Segregation of Public Schools in California Has Persisted Over the Last 20 Years, and Remains Tied to Socio-Economic Segregation

Sydney Miller, Md Karimuzzaman, Emma V. Sanchez-Vaznaugh and Brisa N. Sanchez
Annals of behavioral medicine, v 60(Supplement_1), pp S553-S553
01 Apr 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaag012#page=S553
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https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaag012#page=S553View
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Abstract

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California, one of the most diverse states in the nation, offers an opportunity to study whether changes in population demographics have led to changes in school ethnic segregation, a key determinant of many learning and health outcomes. We examine 20 years of school ethnic segregation in California, and explore how residential segregation and children’s household’s socio-economic status (SES) are associated with changes in school ethnic segregation. This study uses California Department of Education enrollment data (2000/01–2022/23). We calculate schools’ Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICE) scores, based on the concentration of underrepresented minority (URM) children versus White and Asian children. Scores range from -1 (all URM) to 1 (all White/Asian), with 0 indicating 50/50 integration. Residential segregation was measured by schools’ census tract ICE (same formula as school ICE), and child SES by the school-level percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced priced meals (%FRPM). We compute descriptives across school ICE quintiles (ICE1: the most minoritized, to ICE5: majority white). Next, we fit mixed-effects models to examine the associations between Census ICE and %FRPM with school ICE over time. Overall, schools grew more minoritized, shown by decreasing ICE scores over time. Yet, Black and Latino children were the only groups to become more concentrated in schools that were heavily or extremely minoritized schools (i.e., in 2000, 43.9% of Black children attended schools in ICE1-2, vs. 60.2% in 2022). In 2000, a higher Census ICE significantly predicted a higher school ICE (b=0.51, p<.001), but this relationship weakened significantly over time (b=-0.17, p<.001). The weakened association was due to the increasing concentration of minoritized children in schools with higher Census ICE scores. In 2000, a higher school-level proportion of children eligible for free or reduced school meals was significantly associated with lower school ICE (b=–0.03, p<.001). That relationship did not change over time (b=0.0, p=1). In California, school ethnic segregation persists, and has grown less related to residential segregation (i.e., the weakening association of school ICE and census ICE). Further, the tight link between ethnic and socio-economic segregation persists, despite demographic changes in both neighborhoods and schools. These findings have implications for interventions to reduce place-related disparities in child health.

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