WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys (CSSBMB) has released its 2025 Annual Report, a comprehensive federal analysis examining how exclusionary school discipline practices continue to undermine educational equity, civil rights, and equal protection for Black boys across the United States.

“Education was meant to be a gateway to opportunity, not a sorting mechanism that determines who is punished and who is protected,” said CSSBMB Director Mark Spencer. “Our findings show that too many Black boys are still denied fairness at the very start of their educational journey.”

The report focuses on the school-to-prison pipeline, documenting how suspensions, expulsions, and school-based law enforcement referrals—often for minor infractions—disproportionately remove Black boys from classrooms and increase their likelihood of justice system involvement. These disparities appear as early as preschool and persist throughout K–12 education.

“Our mission is clear: to create a future where every young man can reach his full potential, free from systemic obstacles that have historically held them back,” wrote CSSBMB Commissioner and Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson in her message accompanying the 2025 Annual Report.

The Commission’s analysis identified the following key findings:

• Racial disparities in school discipline are driven primarily by differential treatment and differential sorting, rather than differences in student behavior.
• Black male preschoolers face disproportionately high rates of suspensions and expulsions, especially concentrated in the Southern United States.
• Most expulsions and suspensions are for minor, subjective offenses like “disrespect” or “defiance,” which are vulnerable to bias application.
• Black boys are significantly overrepresented in suspensions, expulsions, and school-based arrests relative to their share of the pre-K–12 student population and compared to their peers.
• School discipline practices mirror adult criminal justice “tough on crime” policies and often lack adequate due process protections, raising constitutional concerns.
• Geographic disparities exist, with the South showing notably higher rates of exclusionary discipline even after controlling for race.

After outlining key findings, the report offers actionable policy recommendations for Congress, federal agencies, states, and school districts. These recommendations emphasize restorative justice approaches, reduced reliance on exclusionary discipline, improved data transparency, and stronger protection for students’ civil rights. The 2025 Annual Report reflects the Commission’s ongoing commitment to addressing systemic barriers in education and justice for Black boys.

The full 2025 Annual Report is available here: https://cssbmb.gov/publication/cssbmb-annual-report-2025/

About the U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys

The U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys is a federal advisory body charged with examining the social conditions affecting Black men and boys and advancing solutions that promote equity and opportunity nationwide. The Commission conducts research, analyzes data, and develops findings and recommendations for Congress, the president, and federal agencies on issues including education, health, economic opportunity, criminal justice, and civil rights.

Media Contact: Diamond Newman, dnewman@usccr.gov

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SOURCE U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys