Information Services Statistical Reports
Student Exclusions 1999 - 2000

Background

The 1999-00 school year was the seventh year in which the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education required schools to submit student-level data on student exclusions. The following analyses are based upon data reported by schools on students excluded, as defined at the right, between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2000.

Results

There were 1,412 student exclusions in the 1999–00 school year from 137 school districts and charter schools. A total of 1,378 students were excluded, of whom 31 were excluded two or more times during the year. The greatest number of exclusions for an individual student was three.

As shown in Figure 1, the number of student exclusions during the 1999-00 school year increased by about six percent from the previous two years, but is six percent less than from three years ago, when the largest number of exclusions (1,498) was reported. The number of students excluded more than once during the 1999-00 school year increased by 19 percent from the previous year and by seven percent from 1997-98. More than

two-thirds of the students excluded from school were provided with alternative education, an increase of five percentage points from the prior year.

Exclusions by Student Characteristics

As shown in Table 2, over 80 percent of excluded students were male. The proportion of male exclusions in 1999-00 decreased slightly from the previous year. In comparison to the total student enrollment for 1999-00, a disproportionate number of students excluded from school continue to be students of color. This pattern has been consistent over time.

As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, while students of racial and ethnic minority groups represented 23 percent of the total student enrollment, they accounted for 61 percent of student exclusions. Specifically, Hispanic students, almost one-tenth of the total student enrollment, accounted for one-third of student exclusions. African American students, nine percent of the total student enrollment, accounted for 24 percent of student exclusions. Although white students comprised 77 percent of the total student enrollment, they accounted for 39 percent of student exclusions.

Students who were excluded ranged in age from six to 21-years-old. Female students who were excluded ranged in age from ten to 20-years-old and male students ranged in age from six to 21-years-old. Consistent with last year's data, two percent of exclusion cases involved students age 10 or younger, and 22 percent involved students between the ages of 11 and 13. More than half of student exclusions (56 percent) were among students 14 to 16-years-old, a figure that has remained fairly constant over the past four years, while 20 percent of students excluded were between the ages of 17 and 19. Only three exclusions involved students 20 years of age or older.

Regular education students, who comprised 83 percent of the total student enrollment, accounted for 73 percent of student exclusions. Special education students, who comprised 17 percent of the total enrollment, accounted for 27 percent of exclusions. The proportion of special education students among student exclusions increased by two percentage points from the 1998-99 school year.

Exclusion Rates

As illustrated in Table 3, the exclusion rates, which represent instances of exclusion per 1000 students enrolled, showed male students continue to be excluded at a higher rate than female students. Approximately one in every 500 male students was excluded compared to one in every 2,000 female students. There were significant differences in the exclusion rates among the various racial/ethnic groups as well. The exclusion rates for African American students, 4.1, and Hispanic students, 4.7, were significantly higher than rates for Asian (1.2), Native American (1.2) and white students (0.7) in the 1999-00 school year.

Over the past three years, exclusion rates for all racial groups have fluctuated. African American students accounted for the most significant rate change from 3.1 to 4.1 exclusions per 1000 students from 1999 to 2000.

As shown in Table 4, exclusion rates increased with the grade levels up to ninth grade where they peaked, and then decreased in the grades following ninth.

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