![Once overwhelmingly white, the Chandler (Ariz.) Unified School District in suburban Phoenix was 50.1 percent nonwhite at the start of the 2020-21 school year. The dramatic demographic shifts have sparked tensions over diversity, equity, and inclusion.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6117ddd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x517+0+52/resize/1463x525!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fe3%2Fc4%2F072aaf334b2da441b28ee0a4ef5e%2F030321-chandler-ariz-06-ap-bs.jpg)
The Changing Face of Suburban Schools: A Collection
America’s suburban public schools were often built as havens for middle-class white families. Now, though, white enrollment is plummeting, and the nonwhite families who make up suburbia’s new K-12 majority are pushing back on school systems that were supposed to be “good” but often fail to deliver safe learning environments and equal access to opportunity for children of color. The resulting tensions are reshaping everything from school boards to discipline policies to class reading lists. This collection examines both the numbers and the stories behind a trend that will have a major long-term impact on the future of public schools.
![Dr. Adama Sallu stands for a portrait at Conley Elementary School on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, in Chandler, Ariz..](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/59cfeed/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fb9%2Ff7%2F984dd89a461a9da50ac8161f4be1%2F022621-adama-sallu-09-co-bs.jpg)