In the first research spotlight, we examined the prevalence of in-school suspension (ISS) across regions in the United States. In this spotlight, we switch our focus to the next type of suspension - out of school suspensions (OSS).

The overall OSS rate nationwide was 5.08 percent from 2012-2018. Table 1 below distinguishes between the overall and race-specific prevalence of OSS across the South, West, Midwest, and Northeast. While OSS rates varied between regions of the country, this variance is less extreme than the variance in ISS rates between regions. OSS rates are highest in the South, but rates of OSS in the South are markedly lower than rates of ISS in the South. In contrast, OSS is more prevalent than ISS in the West and, to a lesser extent, in the Northeast.

Nationally, the rate at which Black students are placed in OSS – 9.62 percent – is higher than the OSS rate for any other racial or ethnic group. The rate at which Black students receive OSS is roughly 5 times the rate of Asian students (1.80 percent) and double the rate of White students (4.35 percent). Black students experience the highest rates of OSS exclusion of any racial or ethnic group across all four regions. OSS rates for students from other racial and ethnic groups vary more between regions.

Regional overall rates of OSS ranged from 3.68 percent in the Northeast to 6.32 percent in the South. Regional OSS rates for students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds vary less starkly than regional ISS rates. OSS rates for Black students are 10.19 percent in the South, followed by 9.92 percent in the Midwest, 9.64 percent in the West, and 8.44 percent in the Northeast.

OSS rates for Latinx students are highest in the Midwest (5.22 percent). OSS rates for multi-racial and White students are highest in the South (8.12 and 5.34 percent, respectively). OSS rates for Asian students are highest in the West (3.59 percent) – over three times the rate of OSS for Asian students in the South (1.07 percent) or Midwest (1.03 percent).

In the South, ISS rates are higher than OSS rates for students from all racial and ethnic groups. In the West and Northeast, OSS rates for Black and Latinx students are higher than ISS rates. In the Midwest, the OSS rate for Black students is higher than the ISS rate for Black students, whereas OSS and ISS rates for Latinx students are roughly equal.

Notes. Regions as classified by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). “South” includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia. “West” includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming. “Midwest” includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin. “Northeast” includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont. ARD is the Absolute Risk Difference, which is the White rate subtracted from the Black or Latinx or Multi-Race rate. RRR is the Relative Risk Ratio, which is the Black or Latinx or Multi-Race rate divided by the White rate.