Dress codes are a set of rules governing what students can wear at school. Schools use them to reduce classroom distractions and promote equality among students. Over half of American high schools enforce one. However, research consistently fails to support either justification, and the data on enforcement raises serious questions about who these policies actually affect.
“I like that our school doesn’t have a super strict dress code because it lets students express themselves,” said Jackson Coleman, a Wilsonville High School junior. “But I don’t hate the idea of a uniform. It would save people the time of picking out what to wear and could stop people from getting bullied because of their clothes.”
Though there have been multiple studies conducted on whether dress codes can increase test scores, the results are contradictory. A 1998 study found there was no evidence for the relationship between academic performance and wearing school uniforms. However, a 2011 study found only statistically insignificant increases in test scores for students in uniform.
Schools also argue that dress codes promote equality by concealing economic differences between students. However, when uniforms conceal clothing as a status marker, students simply rely on other cues to judge socioeconomic status, such as shoes, backpacks, or phones, accessories that dress codes don’t cover.
Dress codes appear to have little to no positive effect on students, yet the downsides are significant. The data on enforcement reveals a clear pattern. These policies do not affect all students equally. Women, students of color, and lower-income students are all disproportionately impacted.
Black students are 3.2 times more likely than white students to be disciplined for dress code violations. Girls are 1.7 times more likely than boys to receive disciplinary action as a result of dress code violations. Lower-income students are 2.1 times more likely to be disciplined due to lack of resources. [1]
“I understand them to a point. I understand dress codes as a way to limit hate speech but like, my elementary school dress coded girls if they had a bra strap showing and I think that was stupid.” Says Gracelyn Julison, a Wilsonville senior.
Dress codes are presented as tools for improving focus and promoting equality. The evidence suggests otherwise. They show no consistent academic benefit, fail to address the root causes of economic inequality, and are enforced in ways that disproportionately affect women, students of color, and lower-income students. If schools are serious about student success, they should drop the dress code.