Demographic changes, some of which are highlighted below, affect our notions of who is "majority" and who is "minority". According to the 2000 Census, no racial or ethnic group in California forms a majority. Further, our definitions of racial categories are being challenged as more people intermarry. For example, according to the 1990 U.S. Census, 2.2 percent of all marriages were inter-racial. Among African Americans, 6 percent chose spouses from a different racial group, while 20 percent of Asian Americans intermarried (Newsweek, May 5, 1997). Data regarding demographics, language use, and other diversity in the population is available from the U.S. Census Bureau.)
According to the 2000 Census, no racial or ethnic group forms a majority in California: white (48 percent), Hispanic (31.5), Asian (12.5), and African American (6.7). Diversity is more marked in California schools. Based on 1999-00 enrollment, Hispanic students comprise 42.2 of the school population. White students make up 34.8 percent, Asian and Pacific Islander 8.8, African American 8.3, and American Indian .9. For more information, see Race/Ethnic Population Estimates.
K-12 Student Enrollment Projections
The number of students in California's schools is expected to reach 6.4 million in the 2005-06 school year, up 18 percent from 5.4 million in 1995-96. During this period, white students are expected to decline by 10 percent while Hispanic and Asian students increase by 10.5 and .62 respectively (Demographic Research Unit, California Department of Finance, Oct. 1997).
Language Diversity in California
In the Language Census completed in March 2001, California school districts reported a total of 1.56 million English learners enrolled in kindergarten through grade twelve. For more information, see Demographics and English Learners.
Increasing Diversity in the United States
The following is excerpted from The Social Context of Education (1997), published by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Racial and ethnic diversity has increased substantially in the United States in the last two decades, and is projected to increase even more in the decades to come. In 1995, 67 percent of U.S. children aged 5-17 were white, 15 percent were black, 13 percent were Hispanic, and 5 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Alaskan Native. Between 2000 and 2020, the number of minority children aged 5-17 is projected to grow much faster than the number of white children.
Between 2000 and 2020, it is projected that there will be 61 percent more Hispanic children aged 14-17 and 47 percent more Hispanic children aged 5-13. The numbers of Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Alaskan Native children aged 14-17 is projected to increase by 73 percent, while the number of those children aged 5-13 is projected to grow by 67 percent. In contrast, between 2000 and 2020, the number of white children aged 5-13 is projected to decrease by 11 percent, and the number of white children aged 14-17 is projected to decrease by 10 percent.