Charles County Schools Set To Become Majority Black

African American students are poised to become the majority in Charles County public schools this year, a significant turning point for a system that just five years ago was predominantly white and the clearest sign yet of Southern Maryland's shifting demographics.

When enrollment figures are tabulated this week, Charles school officials predict their school district will become majority black -- the third such system in the region, joining the District and Prince George's County. Last year, the number of black students in Charles surpassed the number of white students for the first time, and the portion of African Americans probably will rise above 50 percent this year.

As the student body has diversified rapidly, academic performance in Charles has remained steady and, by some measures, improved. This reflects in part the growth in Charles, which is being fueled by relatively affluent and well-educated African Americans moving in from neighboring Prince George's to find less expensive housing and better schools.

It also reflects efforts by Charles school officials to address factors that have pulled down black achievement in some other middle-class communities, such as lower expectations from educators and less involvement from parents.

In recent years, Charles school officials have expanded diversity training for teachers and reached out to parents. The county is also using a data analysis system and other measures to boost the performance of students at risk of failing.

"We knew this was coming because we know our students, we know our community, and it will increase over the years, no doubt about it," Superintendent James E. Richmond said of the demographic change.

William B. Wade Elementary School in Waldorf illustrates the evolution. Five years ago, the school was 64 percent white and 29 percent black. Last year, 48 percent of students were black, and 40 percent were white. Wade remains one of Charles's top-performing schools.

"We're watching the changes, but it's been a wonderful change," said Principal Amy DiSabatino.

Over the past decade, the school system has increased from about 20,000 to about 27,000 students. In that period, the number of white students has dropped by about 3,000, while the number of black students has more than doubled.

This mirrors the county's overall population growth, as the white population has shrunk slightly and the black population has boomed.

Charles now has the fastest-growing black population of any large county in the nation except the Atlanta suburbs, according to a Washington Post analysis of U.S. Census data. This growth mirrors what happened when blacks began migrating in large numbers from the District to Prince George's in the 1970s.

"When I first started, there were so few African American children that we would have to look at classes to make sure we had more than one in a class," said Elizabeth Barnes Brown, a veteran teacher and vice president of the county teachers union.