Supreme Court Takes Up Challenge to Maryland School District’s Magnet Admissions Policy

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up a legal challenge brought by parents in Montgomery County, Md., over an admissions policy used by local magnet middle schools. The case centers on whether race-neutral admissions rules violate constitutional protections if they are designed to curb the enrollment of a specific racial group.

The legal fight began after Montgomery County officials hired consultants in 2015 to examine the racial breakdown across its gifted middle school programs. At the time, Asian American students comprised nearly half of the enrollment in the district’s four magnet schools, which selected applicants using grades, cognitive tests, and teacher recommendations.

Consultants flagged “significant racial and socioeconomic disparities” in those programs, noting that Black and Hispanic students were underrepresented relative to their districtwide population numbers. They advised the district to “revise the criteria and process used to select students,” leading to structural changes in how middle school applicants qualify for admission.

Demographic Shifts and Legal Battles

Under the updated system, Asian American enrollment declined across participating schools after 2016. At one school, Asian American participation dropped from 58.2% to 30.3%. The Pacific Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit on behalf of local parents, arguing the admissions policy intentionally targets Asian American applicants.

Lower courts have so far blocked the challenge from moving to trial. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the lawsuit, ruling that the decline in Asian American enrollment wasn’t severe enough to establish unconstitutional discrimination because the group’s enrollment share remained higher than its share of total applications.

High Court Reevaluates Appeals Court Rulings

The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the Maryland dispute follows a similar challenge in 2024 involving admissions at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia. In that case, the Supreme Court declined to review a ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court, over a dissent from Justice Alito.

In his dissent, Justice Alito sharply criticized the Fourth Circuit’s legal standard about race-neutral policies, describing the reasoning as “a virus that may spread if not promptly eliminated.” The upcoming Supreme Court review in the Montgomery County case will now test that precedent directly.