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Politics · October 19, 2026

Supreme Court to hear case on race in middle school admissions

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The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Association for Education Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education, a case involving race-neutral admissions policies for four magnet middle schools in Maryland. A group of parents alleges the district's shift from an in-person exam to a weighted lottery system was intentionally designed to reduce the share of Asian American students while increasing Black and Latino enrollment. The case centers on the legal standard for proving intentional discrimination when a policy appears neutral on its face but has a disparate impact on a specific racial group. Lower courts previously dismissed the lawsuit, finding that Asian American students were not 'harmed' because they were still admitted at rates higher than their representation in the applicant pool.

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Reported across the spectrum

  • The Supreme Court will hear a case challenging magnet school admissions in Montgomery County, Maryland.
  • The case centers on whether a race-neutral policy must cause a specific level of aggregate harm to be considered discriminatory.
  • Lower courts, including the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled in favor of the school district.
  • The current admissions policy uses a lottery system based on standardized test performance.
  • The litigation follows the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions.
  • The parent group involved is the Association for Education Fairness.

Reported by only some outlets

  • Montgomery County previously used a cognitive test and outreach program that was discontinued in 2020.
  • Some students in affluent schools must perform better on exams to enter the lottery than students in less affluent schools.
  • The Fourth Circuit relied on a previous ruling involving Thomas Jefferson High School in Virginia.
  • The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision by July 2027.

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