Tennessee schools rank as some of the most racially segregated in the U.S.

Tennessee public schools are among the most racially segregated in the nation, according to a new study.

Researchers from Stanford and the University of California, Los Angeles, found that Tennessee has the most segregated schools in the South and ranks number six nationally, trailing behind New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio.

“The top ten states on this list may surprise you — segregation isn’t just a southern issue, it’s national, with deep segregation in the Northeast and Southwest as well,” said Dr. Ann Owens, co-leader of the Segregation Tracking Project. “This should be a wake-up call for education leaders and advocates in every state, even those with top-ranked public schools.”

The “States of Segregation” report uses data from the 2023-24 school year and measures the levels of racial segregation between white students and their Black, Hispanic, and Native American peers. Each state has an index number ranging between zero and one – with zero meaning no segregation and one indicating that the school is completely segregated, with all the students being the same race. Tennessee’s number is .46.

States are also ranked by economic segregation — tracking division between students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch and those who don’t. Tennessee fares better on this list, ranking 20th nationwide.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education officially declared racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional in 1954. However, the Southern Education Foundation created “Brown’s Promise” to track how this landmark case is holding up and found that schools are more segregated today than they were in the 1970s.

WPLN’s podcast, “The Promise,” highlighted how the evolution of “school choice” — through magnet and charter schools — and the drawing of neighborhood zone lines fostered resegregation in two East Nashville schools.

Policy suggestions for desegregation

Many education advocates insist that school districts are being gerrymandered to reinforce patterns of segregation and resource inequality. They’re calling on state government leaders to implement solutions to diversify classrooms.

“This data clearly maps the nation’s school segregation problem and represents both a moment of reckoning and a window of opportunity,” said Brown’s Promise co-founder Ary Amerikaner. “Segregated schools are the result of deliberate policy decisions. Tennessee’s policymakers have a responsibility to address this problem with proven, practical policy solutions.”

The team suggests five policy changes.

• Focus on increasing state revenue for education instead of relying mostly on local revenue
• Change district lines by shifting to countywide school districts
• Require local and school leaders to have school assignment policies and budgets that ensure integration and resource equity
• Foster positive student experiences in integration efforts
• Collect and report data to see what’s working on what needs to change.