“Not Like Super High Numbers”: Parents’ Evaluations of Diversity in the K–12 School Search

Drawing on interviews with parents in a large metropolitan school district in the United States, this study examines how perceptions of diversity shape the K–12 school search for their children, with a focus on magnet school selection. Findings indicate that while some white parents viewed racial and socioeconomic diversity as a liability, others preferred diverse schools to expand children’s worldviews, choosing magnets outside of their affluent neighborhoods. In their search, some affluent white parents calibrated the appropriate amount of student diversity or framed their support for diversity through academic benefits to their children, such as a prestigious class rank. However, parents of Black, Latinx, and multiracial children viewed diversity as protection from marginalization, favoring magnets and avoiding racially and socioeconomically isolated schools. Our study contributes to an understanding of diversity ideology in the school search, specifically how magnet schools attract parents with varied evaluations of diversity.