US Census Press Releases

CB04-FFSE.02
February 4, 2004
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*Special Edition*

Brown v. Board of Education:

50th Anniversary

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that segregation of public schools “solely on the basis of race” denied black children equal educational opportunity, even though “physical facilities and other ‘tangible’ factors may have been equal.” The plaintiff’s case was argued by Thurgood Marshall, later to become the first black Supreme Court justice. To commemorate that landmark decision, the Census Bureau has assembled data on the educational attainment and school enrollment of blacks — then and now.

Enrollment: 1954 to 2002
69%
Percentage of black children ages 5 and 6 who were enrolled in school in 1954. By 2002, enrollment for black children of those ages was 96 percent.
<http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>

24% Percentage of young, black adults ages 18 and 19 who were enrolled in school in 1954. In 2002, the comparable enrollment was 58 percent. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>

High School Graduates: 1952 to 2002 15% Percentage of blacks age 25 and over in 1952 who were at least high school graduates. By 2002, this rate had risen to 79 percent. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/educ-attn.html>

1.6 million Number of blacks 25 years old and over with at least a high school diploma in 1957. This number had risen to 16.0 million by 2002. <http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/education/ppl-169/tab01.pdf>

College Graduates: 1952 to 2002 2% Percentage of blacks age 25 and over in 1952 who were college graduates. By 2002, the rate had risen to17 percent. <http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/education/tabA-2.pdf>

252,000 Number of blacks who had at least a bachelor’s degree in 1957. In 2002, 3.5 million blacks had at least a bachelor’s degree. <http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/education/ppl-169/tab01.pdf>

Students: 1955 to 2002 4.5 million Number of blacks enrolled in schools (nursery through college) in 1955. This number had risen to 11.7 million by 2002. <http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/school/tabA-1.pdf>

155,000 Number of black college students in 1955. By 2002, this number had risen to 2.3 million. <http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/school/tabA-1.pdf>

926,000 Number of black high school students in 1955. In 2002, this number was 2.6 million. <http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/school/tabA-1.pdf>

On an occasional basis, the U.S. Census Bureau issues special editions of Facts for Features to commemorate anniversaries or observances, or to provide background information for topics in the news. Below is a listing of previous such editions:

U.S. Armed Forces and Veterans (April 10, 2003)
Tax Time (April 11, 2003)
Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial (May 12, 2003)
Dialing for Dollars (Sept. 24, 2003)
First Flight Centennial (Dec. 3, 2003)
Social Security COLA (Dec. 11, 2003)
The 2004 Presidential Election (Jan. 6, 2004)

Editor’s note: Some of the preceding data were collected in surveys and, therefore, are subject to sampling error. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: (301) 763-3030; fax: (301) 457-3670; or e-mail: <pio@census.gov>.

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