Dive Brief:
- About 1 in 3 high school students nationwide in 2023 reported having experienced racism in school, according to Youth Risk Behavior Survey results published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.
- More than half of Asian students (57%) and nearly half of multiracial (49%) and Black (46%) students reported experiencing racism sometimes in their schooling. Non-White students reported experiencing racism in school at a rate two to three times higher than the 17% reported by White students.
- Poor mental health, suicide risk and substance use consistently ranked higher among students who reported ever experiencing racism in school when compared to students who said they had never faced a racist environment.
Dive Insight:
CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey tracks behaviors and experiences among high school students nationwide. In 2023, the research gave a glimpse into students’ experiences with racism in school with the addition of a new question: “During your life, how often have you felt that you were treated badly or unfairly in school because of your race or ethnicity?”
"Students might be experiencing racism in school because of discrimination and bias that are embedded within current school policies and practices (e.g., disciplinary practices) or as a result of interactions with students, teachers, or administrators and other staff members," the report suggests.
The findings come on the heels of a federal report released last month by the Government Accountability Office that showed Black girls face disproportionately higher rates of school discipline in every state.
The latest CDC findings also confirm that challenges faced by young people during the COVID-19 pandemic continued into 2023. The agency's 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey found high rates of racism among Asian students specifically and among non-White students overall. Asian students’ experiences with school environments that year were a microcosm of an overall increase in anti-Asian hostility during the pandemic.
The latest CDC report suggests schools can:
- Adopt policies and practices to prevent and address racism.
- Provide professional development for teachers, administrators and other school staff to increase awareness biases and learn how to intervene.
- Prepare staff members to provide school and community-based resources to support students experiencing racism.
- Address systemic inequities, like discipline practices, that can impact student mental health.
- Create culturally responsive environments, including through behavior interventions and problem-solving approaches that engage families and communities.
- Implement student-led affinity and intersectional groups for marginalized students to provide them with environments to discuss experiences, develop coping skills and celebrate their identities.
- Ensure access to school counselors and social workers.
"In future practice, school districts might consider interventions that create safe and supportive environments by promoting school culture, conditions, and competencies that support equity and anti-racism, as well as healing from experiences of racism," the report concluded.
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