Figure 1.--

Uniforms are becoming an increasingly accepted feature of American schools. This is a major development in a country where public school children have not traditionally worn school uniforms. A California resident reports, "The local Catholic school has the kids wearing white polo's and navy shorts or long pants. The girls can wear shorts, pants or skirts. The shorts seem to be Bermuda legenth and not the long baggy look which are not permitted." A southern reader reports, "Lots of boys wear shorts to school which is part of their uniform here in the South. Uniforms are becoming a requirement in many of the schools." Interestingly while schools in the United States are beginning to accept a school uniform policy, scgools in the United Kingdom appear to be going in the opposite direction. Uniforms are being increasinly worn in primary and middle schools, but not secondary schools.

Public Schools

Uniform and schoolwear trend at American schools vary as to the level and the types of the schools. One ironic aspect of American schoolwear in the 2000s is that uniforms are most common at inner city schools in poor neighborhoods and in the private schools attended by children from affluent families.

Primary/elementary school

In California a number of private and public schools in K to 6 grades have gone to uniform standards. (Fpr non-US readers, K = Kindergarten . age 5 through 6th Grade is 12 years old. (K - 6th grade). A number of public schools allow the boys to wear short or long trousers. Some have a warm weather period from September through October and March to June makes it mandatory for boys to wear shorts. A majority of private schools in the K to 6 grades are mandatory short trousers with some exception during the Winter months.

Middle/junior high schools

A number of middle schools (6th grade through 8th grade ages 12 through 14 years old) or, Junior High School (7th through 9th grade ages 13 through 15 years old) have opted for school uniform standards and short trousers are acceptable to wear at the boys discretion. A HBC reader repored in 2003, "The daily school wear of boys around here is a t-shirt and knee-length cargo shorts, with a heavier pullover top being worn in the winter. Shirts with buttons, even polo shirts, are not daily wear. Boys don't even wear the plaid flannel shirts in cool weather that were so ubiquitous in the past. For middle school graduations, boys will wear slacks with a solid color woven shirt, or perhaps a polo shirt. Some may have a tie, some may wear a jacket, even though the weather can be hot in June. When I suggest that a dressier pair of shorts might be more comfortable, they think that I'm out of my mind. (They're probably right about that!) Girls also use this as an occasion to dress up. Literally. Instead of the jeans or shorts that they wear to school every day, they will wear a skirt or a dress. Girls rarely wear a skirt or dress to school these days. If I mention this change to them, they look at me like I'm from the 20th Century or something!"

Senior high schools

If you go to a High School in California (9th grade to 12th grade - 15 to 18 years old) many boys wear those baggy type of shorts. Some wear shorts just above their knees and I have seen a number of boys wear soccer (football) shorts at school. Soccer (football) shorts have become quite trendy in California and you see these youngsters wearing these soccer shorts throughout the entire year. They like those shorts with manufacturers label such as: Umbro, Nike, Adidas, Kappa, Hummel, etc.

Private Schools

A HBC conrtributor reports that a private Christian school all boys through 6th grade were wearing navy blue short trousers, white shirt, and some were wearing a navy blue sweater with the a small school logo. Socks were ankle length. The girls were wearing a navy blue pleated skirt with a white shirt and ankle white socks. You had too look close to tell the boys and girls apart.

Garments

The topic of tee-shirts and other pullovers deserves some discussion. A HBC reader reports, "I've noticed that at my daughter's middle school which does not have a uniform that 95 percent of the boys dressedvery similarly. Very few boys wear polo shirts these days, as they have acquired an aura of school uniform, and school uniforms are generally worn by kids in public schools with a lot of poverty and gangs. Woven shirts are also out of fashion as school wear, as they are now considered dress-up wear. The proportion of boys in t-shirts at the primary school isn't as large, maybe a half to two thirds, but that's because younger boys are more likely to accept the clothes that mom provides. Middle school boys are much more influenced by their peers, and so they all tend to dress alike. High school boys also follow their peers, but by that age there will be several different social groups from which to choose. I only recently noticed that shirts with buttons had disappeared from middle school. I guess that's because it's harder to notice something that isn't there."

Regional Trends

A California reader werites, "You give the impression here that there are a lot of California public schools that have uniforms, which in my experience just isn't true. This may be because I live in a prosperous area with good schools, but even the less prosperous areas around here don't have them. I think they're more of an urban thing, especially in the bottom of the state. The schools in my area are quite good, which explains why there are relatively few private schools here. On reason that they're good is that when the schools ask for an increase in the school tax that voters always approve it by an overwhelming margin, even though most voters don't have school-age children. They know that having good schools is the surest way of keeping property values up. In nearby poorer communities the voters always turn down tax increases, thereby ensuring that property values will stay low and the children will grow up to be as ignorant as their parents. Isn't it funny how that works out?"

A reader in Arizona writes, "Affluent people here live in gated communities and homeschool their children or send them to "Christian Academies. Most of these Christian academies have uniforms. There is a lot of resistance to higher school taxes."

Educational Debate

Many education experts lament the decline of the public schools. One author, Henry Giroux a professor of Education at Penn State University, charges that "public schooling currently faces a crisis of unparalleled proportions" which he attributes primarily to inadequate funding and overcrowed classrooms. [Giroux] This is a charge that is made again and again, but rarely is backed by statistical evidence. Actually spending per pupil in America is at record levels and pupil/teacher ratios are declining. The average American public school pupil had $8,830 spent on his education in the 2000-01 school year compared to $5,122 in comstant dollars in 1970-71. The average teacher/pupil ratio in 2000-01 was 15--a record low. [National Center for Educational Statistics] Of course these averages mask problems. There are major differences between school systems. Often children from low-income homes have less spent on them and fewer after school programs than children from more affluent homes--in part because that schools are in part financed by local propert taxes. Thus children with the gretest educational needs are often in schools with the most limited financial resources. Even so, the amount of money being spent on pubic education suggests to HBC, that the problems associated with public education is not just a question of financing.

Personal Experiences

A highschool students tells us, "I am a sophomore, or 10th-year (11th year, if you prefer to equate American kindergarten with British first year), at an American high school and a very untypical one at that! In a previous contribution to HBC (see 1990s page), I detailed the rather conservative clothes I wore to school a year ago and expressed my disdain for contemporary children's fashions. You may think that, having been at high school for a year, I have become more trendy and liberal in fashion. That, however, is not so: my current fashions are, if anything, more conservative than what I wore a year ago. I remain unchanged in my preference for winter clothes and in my dislike of my classmates' fashions. In the last contribution, I described a minor conflict between my father and I over the type of clothes I wore: my father was a bit more liberal and modern than I in his tastes and sometimes insisted that I wear t-shirts. Happily for me, my father had by last year begun to give me more freedom in choosing my clothes and now, he agrees with my choices wholeheartedly. A few months ago, he told me that I dress rather appropriately for my position in society (a "scholar-in-training", in his words) and that he preferred my conservative attire to the outrageous apparel of modern youth. So, the disagreement has been resolved in my favor. Here's what I normally wear to school now: A "voluntary school uniform" described as follows... The sweater, or jumper, has become the staple of my apparel. In winter, I wear a woolen sweater over a long-sleeved shirt (i.e. a garment with buttons, not a t-shirt) and in summer, I wear a cotton sweater over a short-sleeved shirt. I have both v-necked and round-necked sweaters and these are all in a uniform color and texture. I still wear long dress pants/trousers and tuck my shirts into them. Put in other words, my attire resembles a 1980s British school uniform without the tie and with long pants. And no, my school has no uniform policy or dress code. On chilly days, I would wear a fleece-lined jacket, a raincoat, an anorak, or a parka (depending on the weather and temperature) over my woolen winter sweater. On formal occasions, I would wear a white shirt, a striped tie, a dark grey or maroon sweater/jumper, and light grey flannel pants/trousers. Depending on the weather and occasion, I may wear a black blazer over the sweater or replace the sweater with the blazer. Since HBC goes on a lot about "first suits", here's my contribution to that topic: I got my first blazer when I was three years old and wore it to a wedding. I got my second blazer when I was 6 and have worn a blazer or a suit at least five times every year since then. My grandparents share my conservatism in fashions and consequently, I wear formal clothes to all dinner parties, concerts, receptions, ceremonies, and meetings without exception. In general, my conservative clothing preferences have resulted in positive feedback and good first impressions, especially from adults. Furthermore, I have suffered little or no social setbacks. My friends accept me for who I am and my classmates treat me with kindness and respect. As for myself, I try to be polite to everyone I meet and have enough good sense and politeness to refrain from criticizing my classmates' fashions in front of their faces."

Sources

Giroux, Henry A. The Abandoned Generation: Democracy Beyond the Culture of Fear (Palgrave, 2003), 234p.

National Center for Educational Statistics

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Created: November 7, 2001
Last updated: 7:21 AM 8/23/2004