In Seattle, school segregation is actually getting worse

It's been 40 years since Seattle schools first tried — and failed — to integrate. Today, data suggest segregation persists across the district.

Ashli Blow

Ashli Blow • Mar 28, 2019

Mar 28, 2019

Republish Article

You can republish articles in print or online. Simply copy the HTML below, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline, and credit to Cascade PBS. Republishing of the photos or videos embedded in an article can occur only if the photo or video is a copyright of Cascade Public Media ("CPM") and not of a third party. Photos and videos that are a copyright of CPM are not required to appear in the republished article, but if they are used, they must be embedded where they appear in the original article and must include the attribution to the CPM photographer.

You may reprint in any medium
You may edit only for tense and timeliness
If republishing in print you can edit for length if you follow our print republishing guidelines.
You may write your own headline
Include a byline and shirttail with credit and link to Cascade PBS
Include our tracking pixel
Remove if we ask

          <article>
            <header>
              <hgroup>
                <h1>In Seattle, school segregation is actually getting worse</h1>
                <h2><p>It's been 40 years since Seattle schools first tried — and failed — to integrate. Today, data suggest segregation persists across the district.</p></h2>
              </hgroup>
               <p>By <a href="/author/ashli-blow/">Ashli Blow</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Mar 28, 2019</time></p>
            </header>
            <figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://player.pbs.org/partnerplayer/dsqcXO4NO8SG8pYdVixQJg==/?start=0&amp;end=0&amp;topbar=false&amp;autoplay=false&amp;endscreen=true" width="100%"></iframe></figure><p>Seattle public schools are becoming more divided when it comes to race. For years, the city made an effort to integrate schools with a busing program, to mixed success. But while residential desegregation continues to progress in Seattle, schools have been resegregating over the past few decades. Because of this, a school’s student body can look very different depending on what neighborhood it is in.</p>
          </article>

Seattle public schools are becoming more divided when it comes to race. For years, the city made an effort to integrate schools with a busing program, to mixed success. But while residential desegregation continues to progress in Seattle, schools have been resegregating over the past few decades. Because of this, a school’s student body can look very different depending on what neighborhood it is in.

Our members' donations make local journalism happen.

Support once for $1

Support monthly for $7

Cascade PBS Passport
Mossback members-only newsletter
Print Viewer Guide (opt-in)

Support monthly for $25

Invitation to quarterly news and original programming video conference
Annual in-person meet-up with news & programming teams
Special event perks (reduced price or free tickets, cocktails, etc.)

Continue

By Ashli Blow

Ashli Blow is a Seattle-based freelance writer who talks with people — in places from urban watersheds to remote wildernesses — about the environment around them. She’s been working in journal