Race, Racism and the Law
"Speaking Truth to Power"

Statistics (Total Whiteness)

The 2004 Whitest Law Schools Report
The Top Ten Whitest Law Schools in the United States
Basic Descriptive Statistics
  • This analysis is based on the percent of the total student body that is white; that is Law School Whiteness. 179 schools were included in this analysis.  Average Whiteness is 79.90 and half the law schools have Whiteness above 81.60.
  • The highest level of whiteness is The University of Montana with 95.6% Whiteness (percent of white students).
  • The lowest is the University of Hawaii with 29.2% Whiteness.  However, because the University of Hawaii serves the population of its state which is non-white, it may be more properly excluded.
  • 66 schools (36.9%)  have Whiteness greater than or equal to 85%
  • 4 schools (1.7%) have Whiteness less than or equal to 39.99%
  • Almost half of the schools (49.2%) have Whiteness between 70 to 84.9%.
Region. 
  • Midwest has the greatest percentage of schools (83.3%) with Whiteness over 85%; while the Great Lakes has the largest number of schools (13) with Whiteness over 85%.
  • Three Regions (Southeast, Midsouth, and Far West) each has 1 school with Whiteness less than 55%.
  • The difference in distribution in schools and whiteness by region is statistically significant (p=.01). That is there is less than a 1% probability that the distribution occurred by chance.
 

Tier

  • The 3rd Tier has the greatest percentage (66.7%) and the most number (24) of schools with Whiteness over 85%.
  • Of the three schools that have Whiteness below 55%, 1 is a 2nd tier school; 1 is a 4th Tier School and 1 has No US News Ranking because it didn't report the information
  • The 1st tier has the fewest school (7/14%) with Whiteness greater than or equal to 85%.
  • The difference in distribution in schools and whiteness by tier was statistically significant (p=.000). That is there was less than .000 probability that the distribution occurred by chance.
    • One reason, the distribution may occur as it does is that as law schools attempt to move from fourth tier into 3rd tier, they attempt to get more selective and increase median LSAT. Both these moves would effect admission of non-white applicants.
Private/Public Status
  • Public law schools have the greatest percentage (51.5%) and largest number (34) of schools with Whiteness greater than or equal to 85%.
  • Of the three schools that has Whiteness below 55%, 1 is a private and 2 are  public.
  • The difference in distribution in schools and whiteness by tier is significant (p=.074). That is there is less than a 7.4% probability that the distribution occurred by chance.
 
 

 

Descriptive Statistics for Historically White Law Schools

N

179

Mean

79.903

Median

81.600

Minimum

29.2

Maximum

95.6

Percent of Whiteness 
in Historically White Law Schools
Number Percent
0.01 to 39.99% 2 1.1
40 to 54.99% 1 0.6
55.0 to 69.9% 22 12.3
70 to 84.99% 88 49.2
>=85.00% 66 36.9

Percent of Law School Whiteness by Tier

Tier

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Median

1st Tier (USNews)

57.3

91.1

76.550

76.050

2nd Tier (USNews)

29.2

93.0

79.984

81.700

3rd Tier (USNews)

62.7

95.6

86.178

88.050

4th Tier (USNews)

52.2

92.9

79.554

81.800

No US News Ranking

38.5

89.1

71.683

79.000

Total

29.2

95.6

79.903

81.600

 

Sum of Squares

df

Mean Square

F

Sig.

ANOVA(Combined)

2389.763

4

597.441

6.251

.000

Percent of Whiteness 
in Historically White Law School  By Tier
Percent = row
Example:  
of 1st Tier Schools 9 or 18% was between 55 to 69% white
and 7 were over 85% white

 

0.01 to 39.99 % White

40.0 to 54.99 % White

55.0 to 69.99% White

70 to 84.99% white

>=85.00

 

1st Tier (USNews)

 

 

9

34

7

50

 

 

18.0%

68.0%

14.0%

100.0%

2nd Tier (USNews)

1

 

6

25

18

50

2.0%

 

12.0%

50.0%

36.0%

100.0%

3rd Tier (USNews)

 

 

1

11

24

36

 

 

2.8%

30.6%

66.7%

100.0%

4th Tier (USNews)

 

1

5

16

15

37

 

2.7%

13.5%

43.2%

40.5%

100.0%

No US News Ranking

1

  

1

2

2

6

16.7%

  

16.7%

33.3%

33.3%

100.0%

Total

2

1

22

88

66

179

1.1%

.6%

12.3%

49.2%

36.9%

100.0%

 

Percent of Whiteness in  Historically White Law School
By Tier

Percent = column
Example:
of schools with greater than or equal to 85% whiteness  7 or 10.6% are in the 1st Tier  and
24 or 36.4 are in the 3rd Tier

 

0.01 to 39.99 % White

40.0 to 54.99 % White

55.0 to 69.99% White

70 to 84.99% white

>=85.00

 

1st Tier (USNews)

 

 

9

34

7

50

 

 

40.9%

38.6%

10.6%

27.9%

2nd Tier (USNews)

1

 

6

25

18

50

50.0%

 

27.3%

28.4%

27.3%

27.9%

3rd Tier (USNews)

 

 

1

11

24

36

 

 

4.5%

12.5%

36.4%

20.1%

4th Tier (USNews)

 

1

5

16

15

37

 

100.0%

22.7%

18.2%

22.7%

20.7%

No US News Ranking

1

1

2

2

6

50.0%

4.5%

2.3%

3.0%

3.4%

2

1

22

88

66

179

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

 

 

Value

df

Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square

45.311

16

.000

15 cells (60.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .03.

Status

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Median

Private

52.2

94.7

78.731

79.400

Public

29.2

95.6

81.566

83.550

Total

29.2

95.6

79.903

81.600

Percent of Whiteness in  Historically White Law School
By Region

Percent = row
Example:
of schools in the Northeast 4 or 16.7% or over 85% white and
17 or 70.8% or between 40 to 84.9% white

 

0.01 to 39.99 % White

40.0 to 54.99 % White

55.0 to 69.99% White

70 to 84.99% white

>=85.00

 

Northeast

 

 

3

17

4

24

 

 

12.5%

70.8%

16.7%

100.0%

New England

 

 

1

6

7

14

 

 

7.1%

42.9%

50.0%

100.0%

Southcentral

 

 

1

9

6

16

 

 

6.3%

56.3%

37.5%

100.0%

Southeast

 

1

2

8

6

17

 

5.9%

11.8%

47.1%

35.3%

100.0%

Midsouth

1

 

1

12

12

26

3.8%

 

3.8%

46.2%

46.2%

100.0%

Midwest

 

 

 

2

10

12

 

 

 

16.7%

83.3%

100.0%

Great Lakes

 

 

2

18

13

33

 

 

6.1%

54.5%

39.4%

100.0%

Mountain West

 

 

2

3

5

10

 

 

20.0%

30.0%

50.0%

100.0%

Northwest

 

 

 

3

3

6

 

 

 

50.0%

50.0%

100.0%

Far West

1

 

10

10

 

21

4.8%

 

47.6%

47.6%

 

100.0%

 

2

1

22

88

66

179

1.1%

.6%

12.3%

49.2%

36.9%

100.0%

Percent of Whiteness in  Historically White Law School
By Region

Percent = column
Example:
of schools with greater than or equal to 85% whiteness  4 or 6.1% are in the Northeast  and
13 or 19.7 are in the Great Lakes region

 

0.01 to 39.99 % White

40.0 to 54.99 % White

55.0 to 69.99% White

70 to 84.99% white

>=85.00

Total

Northeast

 

 

3

17

4

24

 

 

13.6%

19.3%

6.1%

13.4%

New England

 

 

1

6

7

14

 

 

4.5%

6.8%

10.6%

7.8%

Southcentral

 

 

1

9

6

16

 

 

4.5%

10.2%

9.1%

8.9%

Southeast

 

1

2

8

6

17

 

100.0%

9.1%

9.1%

9.1%

9.5%

Midsouth

1

 

1

12

12

26

50.0%

 

4.5%

13.6%

18.2%

14.5%

Midwest

 

 

 

2

10

12

 

 

 

2.3%

15.2%

6.7%

Great Lakes

 

 

2

18

13

33

 

 

9.1%

20.5%

19.7%

18.4%

Mountain West

  

 

2

3

5

10

 

 

9.1%

3.4%

7.6%

5.6%

Northwest

 

 

 

3

3

6

 

 

 

3.4%

4.5%

3.4%

Far West

1

10

10

 

21

50.0%

45.5%

11.4%

 

11.7%

 

2

1

22

88

66

179

 

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

 

 

Value

df

Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square

68.256

36

.001

N of Valid Cases

179

 

 

a 35 cells (70.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .03.

 

Percent of Whiteness in  Historically White Law School
By Private/Public Status

Percent = row
Example:
of Private Law Schools  32 or 30.5% are over 85% white and
1 or 1.% was  between 40 to 54.9% white

  

0.01 to 39.99 % White

40.0 to 54.99 % White

55.0 to 69.99% White

70 to 84.99% white

>=85.00

  

Private

 

1

15

57

32

105

  

1.0%

14.3%

54.3%

30.5%

100.0%

Public

2

  

7

31

34

74

2.7%

 

9.5%

41.9%

45.9%

100.0%

  

2

1

22

88

66

179

1.1%

.6%

12.3%

49.2%

36.9%

100.0%

Percent of Whiteness in  Historically White Law School
By Private/Public Status

Percent = column
Example:
of schools with greater than or equal to 85% whiteness  32 or 48.5% are private schools  and
34 or 51.5% are public schools.