Detroit-Area Schools among the Most Segregated in the U.S.

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Economic segregation in America’s school systems is a growing concern that many education advocates are becoming alarmed about. According to new data from the research organization EdBuild, the most “guilty” of economic segregation – separating students from financially wealthy families homes from those that come from financially poor families and homes – are not concentrated in any one region of the country.

School districts in Southern states, those where years of racial tension and inequality are still felt in many places, were mostly absent from the top 50 most economically segregated. Only two schools from Birmingham, Ala. (3.5% Latino population) were among the most segregated when comparing poverty rates.

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In a report entitled Fault Lines: America’s Most Segregating School District Borders, EdBuild collected data on all 33,500 school districts in the United States an identified the 50 most segregated school district borders. The single-most segregating school district border occurs in Detroit, Mich. (7.3% Latino population) between the Detroit City School District and Grosse Pointe Public Schools. According to the report, nearly half of all Detroit students live in poverty while the rate in Grosse Point (2.4% Latinos population) is less than 7%.

The district borders in Clairton, Penn. (3% Latino), Dayton, Ohio (3.4% Latino), and Phoenix, Ariz. (40.2% Latino), are all among the most segregating in the countries. EdBuild did not give any specific reasoning behind the discovery that over 60% of the most segregated school districts in America were concentrated in America’s Rust Belt.