A report examining whether students are using the school choice mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act highlights these districts, where it says choice is helping to integrate schools by race and income.
| District | School year | Number of NCLB transfers | Percent of eligible students requesting transfers | Percent of students in sending schools who are minorities | Percent of students in sending schools who are low-income | Percent of students in receiving schools who are minorities | Percent of students in receiving schools who are low-income |
| Palm Beach County, Fla. | 2003- 04 | 387 | 9.9 | 97-100 | 83-93 | 15-83 | 7-64 |
| Alexan-dria, Va. | 2003- 04 | 26 | 13. 5 | 85 | 78 | 46-66 | 26-36 |
| Balti-more County, Md. | 2002- 03 | 93 | 5.1 a | 96-98 | 52-55 | 5-89 | 2-44 |
| 2003- 04 | 93 | 7.1 | 96-98 | 52-55 | 5-66 | 2-31 | |
| Hamil-ton County, Tenn. | 2003- 04 | 484 | 14.4 | 65-99 | 82-98 | 2-25 | 3-65 |
| Tacoma, Wash. | 2001- 02 | 1,076 | 35.6 | 52-77 | 73-92 | 13-77 | 7-89 |
| 2002- 03 | 565 | 18.2 | 52-77 | 73-92 | 13-77 | 7-89 | |
| 2003- 04 | 253 | 10.8 b | 60-77 | 80-92 | 13-77 | 7-89 | |
| Fort Wayne, Ind. | 2003- 04 | 81 | 5.5 | 65-80 | 82-92 | 26-50 | 34-69 |
a Of the 93 students transferring in 2002-2003, eight chose a school that was 89 percent minority and 44 percent low-income. The remaining transferees chose to attend schools ranging from 5 percent to 66 percent minority and 2 percent to 31 percent low-income.
b While declining percentages of students have been making choices each year, the assumption is that some students who elect to remain in their receiving schools do not repeat the choice process.
SOURCE: Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights, 2004.
