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?
View Explainer
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
A photo of money seen through a rip in denim
Maria Utekhina/iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Opinion Why This Teacher Will No Longer Pay for the ‘Privilege’ to Wear Jeans
Getting to wear jeans occasionally at my school hardly seems worth the outlay, explains a teacher.
Kelly Scott, March 22, 2022
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3 min read
Conceptual Illustration of clothing and dollar signs flying through the air.
E+/Getty
Teaching Profession Wait, Some Teachers Have to Pay to Wear Jeans?
Teachers dish on dress codes and reveal that in some schools, comfort comes at a cost.
Hayley Hardison, March 4, 2022
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4 min read
From left, Mia-Arie Wilson, 13, Lindsey Coates, 13, Ava Bell, 13, and Makayla Waiters, 13, at Western Branch Middle School in Chesapeake, Va., on Sept. 21, 2021. The students are members of the Student Council Association and have been instrumental in making changes at the school.
From left, Mia Arie Wilson, 13, Lindsey Coates, 13, Ava Bell, 13, and Makayla Waiters, 13, at Western Branch Middle School in Chesapeake, Va., were part of a student social justice task force that prompted big changes at their school.
Julia Rendleman for Education Week
School & District Management Students Sought Changes at Their Middle School. Their Principal Listened
Principal Kambar Khoshaba initiated a student social justice task force at the middle school he leads. Students say it's had a big impact.
Denisa R. Superville, September 29, 2021
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10 min read
Image shows a courtroom and gavel.
imaginima/E+
Law & Courts In Skirt Case, Appeals Court Says Title IX Bars Dress Codes That Discriminate Based on Sex
The court rules on a North Carolina charter school that requires girls to wear skirts, which the school's founder says promotes "chivalry."
Mark Walsh, August 9, 2021
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4 min read
Illustration of clothes on hangers
Getty
Teaching Profession Is It Time to Relax Teacher Dress Codes?
After teaching at home in comfortable clothes, some school and district leaders support casual attire for teachers returning to classrooms.
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 21, 2021
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4 min read
Education Appeals Court Revives Race- and Sex-Bias Suit Over Student's Dyed Hair
The court revived a key part of a lawsuit filed by a Louisiana high school student who alleges that he faced harassment from a school administrator over the student's dyed hair.
Mark Walsh, September 11, 2020
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2 min read
Equity & Diversity Black Teen Suspended for His Dreadlocks Can Return to School, Judge Rules
Kaden Bradford was facing punishment because his locs are long enough to touch his shirt collar, a violation of his high school's dress code. His attorneys called the policy discriminatory.
Christina A. Samuels, August 19, 2020
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2 min read
A photo that was posted on Twitter last week shows students in a crowded hallway at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga.
A photo that was posted on Twitter last week shows students in a crowded hallway at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga.
Twitter via AP
School Climate & Safety Opinion You Made Me Enforce Useless Dress Codes for Years. Don't Claim Face Masks Go Too Far
Dress codes have disproportionately harmed Black students. A face-mask mandate could save their lives, writes James Bridgeforth.
James Bridgeforth, August 10, 2020
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4 min read
De’Andre Arnold, middle, and his mother Sandy, second from right, attended the Academy Awards with the team behind the animated short “Hair Love.”
De’Andre Arnold, middle, and his mother Sandy, second from right, attended the Academy Awards with the team behind the animated short “Hair Love.”
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
School Climate & Safety Why Do Schools Hang On to Discriminatory Dress Codes?
School dress codes are clashing with students, parents, and researchers who see the rules and their enforcement as rife with racism and sexism. Some school leaders say the codes are important for safety and teaching kids to comply.
Christina A. Samuels, March 10, 2020
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10 min read
Education Judge Strikes Down Charter School's Dress Code Requiring Skirts for Girls
A federal district judge holds that the requirement that girls wear skirts and may not wear shorts or pants violates the U.S. Constitution's equal-protection clause.
Mark Walsh, March 29, 2019
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3 min read
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