Dress Code/Uniforms

Read more about school dress codes and uniform policies. Do they improve student achievement or school climate? Are they sexist or racist?

Explainer

In this Sept. 7, 2018 photo, students socialize at Grant High School in Portland, Ore., after school let out. Portland Public Schools relaxed its dress code in 2016 after student complaints that the rules unfairly targeted female students and sexualized their fashion choices.
School Dress Code Debates, Explained
What are they, who do they serve, and do they need to be changed?
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Image of articles of clothing on a coat hook outside a school entrance.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
School Climate & Safety School Dress Codes Often Target Girls. What Happens When Male Teachers Have to Enforce Them?
Male teachers say the task can put them in a risky and uncomfortable position.
Alex Harwin & Sarah D. Sparks, February 15, 2024
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11 min read
The Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon, April 19, 2023, in Washington.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon, April 19, 2023, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Declines to Hear Closely Watched Case on Charter Schools
The justices won't consider whether charter schools are "state actors," which has implications for the push for religious charter schools.
Mark Walsh, June 26, 2023
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5 min read
A teen girl in a red graduation cap and gown helps another graduate affix a tassel to her graduation cap.
Kristalynn Medina helps Jacqueline Medina attach her tassel onto her mortarboard on May 26, 2023, before the commencement ceremony for Harlingen High School's Class of 2023 in Harlingen, Texas.
Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald via AP
Families & the Community Pomp and Khaki Pants: What to Consider When Setting Graduation Dress Codes
District leaders should consider equity, enforcement, and community relationships when setting graduation dress standards.
Evie Blad, June 2, 2023
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4 min read
A teen boy in a red graduation cap and gown wears an eagle feather on his neck. He stands outside among classmates.
Elijah Wiggins wears an eagle feather, a gift from his grandfather, at his graduation from Cedar City High School on May 25, 2022, in Cedar City, Utah. Utah is one of a growing number of states that have passed laws to allow students to wear items of cultural or religious significance during graduation ceremonies.
Rick Bowmer/AP
Equity & Diversity When Graduation Dress Codes Clash With Students' Cultural Expression
Students have sued to wear culturally significant items at graduation, and some states have also passed legislation protecting the practice.
Evie Blad, May 31, 2023
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5 min read
Composite of 3 individuals, two looking at the camera and from behind playing the piano.
Courtesy photos
School Climate & Safety Students Push Schools to Overhaul Dress Codes: Their Success Stories and Lessons Learned
How girls and LGBTQ+ students punished for dress code violations fought to overhaul district policies.
Eesha Pendharkar, March 31, 2023
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6 min read
Riley O’Keefe found her freshman yearbook at Bartram Trail High School in St. Johns, Florida altered with a digital black bar to hide her chest. The school later printed yearbooks without alterations.
Riley O’Keefe found her freshman yearbook at Bartram Trail High School in St. Johns, Florida altered with a digital black bar to hide her chest. The school later printed yearbooks without alterations.
Courtesy of Riley O’Keefe
School Climate & Safety High School Students Challenge Dress Code After Girls' Photos Were Censored
After 80 girls' yearbook photos were censored in one high school in Florida, then-freshman Riley O'Keefe fought to change the dress code.
Eesha Pendharkar, March 31, 2023
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7 min read
Albany High School track team members pose after being kicked out their practice and a lacrosse game the same day for wearing sports bras on an 80-degree day.
Albany High School track team members pose after being kicked out their practice and a lacrosse game the same day for wearing sports bras on an 80-degree day.
Courtesy of Kayla Huba
School Climate & Safety How Athletes Suspended for Wearing Sports Bras to Practice Changed the Dress Code
Thirteen track athletes were suspended for wearing sports bras to practice. They fought the decision and pushed for a changed dress code.
Eesha Pendharkar, March 31, 2023
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6 min read
Tristan, the 13-year-old child of Danielle Miller who identifies as nonbinary, was sent to in-school suspension for having long hair at Magnolia ISD.
Tristan, a 13-year-old child who identifies as nonbinary, was sent to in-school suspension for having long hair at the Magnolia ISD in Magnolia, Texas.
Courtesy of Danielle Miller
School Climate & Safety Nonbinary Child's Long Hair Results in Suspension, Dress Code Amended After Legal Battle
Magnolia ISD in Texas suspended a then-11-year-old nonbinary child for having long hair until a lawsuit forced a gender neutral dress code policy.
Eesha Pendharkar, March 31, 2023
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5 min read
Thunder storm sky over the United States Supreme Court building in Washington DC.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Law & Courts Supreme Court Asks for Biden Administration's Views on Legal Status of Charter Schools
Stemming from a suit over a North Carolina school's dress code, the issue is whether "public" charter schools act with government authority.
Mark Walsh, January 9, 2023
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3 min read
Image of columns.
E+
Law & Courts The 8 Most Consequential Developments in Education Law in 2022
The list includes major decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court, a transition on the high court, and several lower court decisions.
Mark Walsh, December 22, 2022
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6 min read
An Alameda High School student poses for photos wearing ripped jeans on the school's campus in Alameda, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018. The relaxed new dress code at public schools in the small city of Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco, is intentionally specific: Midriff-baring shirts are acceptable attire, so are tank tops with spaghetti straps and other once-banned items like micro-mini skirts and short shorts.
An Alameda High School student wears ripped jeans on the school's campus in Alameda, Calif.. The school system recently relaxed its dress codes to lessen their impact on some students.
Jeff Chiu/AP
Equity & Diversity Districts Need Guidance on Designing Dress Codes That Are Fair to All. It Might Be On the Way
The Education Department has said it will develop resources, but experts say school districts also need to examine their own policies.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 28, 2022
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6 min read
In this Sept. 7, 2018 photo, a student at Grant High School in Portland, Ore., waits for a ride after school. Portland Public Schools relaxed its dress code in 2016 after student complaints that the rules unfairly targeted female students and sexualized their fashion choices.
A student at Grant High School in Portland, Ore., waits for a ride after school in 2018. The school system relaxed its dress code in 2016 after student complaints that the rules unfairly targeted female students.
Gillian Flaccus/AP
Equity & Diversity School Dress Codes Aren't Fair to Everyone, Federal Study Finds
Girls, Black students, and LGBTQ students are disproportionately impacted by school dress codes, says the GAO's report.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 27, 2022
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6 min read
In this photo taken Aug. 8, 2012, Amber Starks braids the hair of family friend Zinnia Rickman, 7, at the Lock Loft in Vancouver, Wash.
Amber Starks braids the hair of family friend Zinnia Rickman at the Lock Loft in Vancouver, Wash.
Katie Currid/The Oregonian via AP
Equity & Diversity Q&A ‘Our Hair Is Our Identity’: What Educators Need to Know About Hair Discrimination Laws
More states are passing versions of the CROWN Act, which forbids race-based hair discrimination in schools.
Ileana Najarro, July 5, 2022
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6 min read
Scales of justice and Gavel on wooden table and Lawyer or Judge working with agreement in Courtroom, Justice and Law concept.
Pattanaphong Khuankaew/iStock
Law & Courts A Charter School Made Girls Wear Skirts to Promote 'Chivalry.' An Appeals Court Says No
A federal appeals court said the charter school's policy violates the Constitution and that Title IX applies to dress codes.
Mark Walsh, June 15, 2022
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4 min read
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