Black middle schoolers in District 203 face in-school suspension at six times the rate of white classmates.

That disparity emerged from discipline data administrators presented to the Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education on Sept. 8, NCTV17 reported. The numbers affect families at all three junior highs: Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington.

The district reported 332 students received in-school suspensions during the 2025-26 school year, up from 249 the year before. Out-of-school suspensions rose slightly, from 159 students to 166. In-school suspension incidents jumped to 500, up from 398, according to the district's student behavior summary.

The gap is widest in middle school. Nineteen percent of Black students received an in-school suspension, compared to 3% of white students. For out-of-school suspensions, 11% of Black middle schoolers were suspended versus 1% of white peers. At the high school level, 10% of Black students received an in-school suspension, compared to 1% of white students.

Students from economically disadvantaged households also faced higher rates. At the middle school level, 11% received in-school suspensions and 6% received out-of-school suspensions.

Patrick Nolten, the district's assistant superintendent for assessment, accountability and information, said the districtwide rates have held steady at 2% for in-school suspensions and 1% for out-of-school suspensions.

"Those two numbers have been stable since we've been doing disciplinary reporting," Nolten said at the Sept. 8 meeting.

The five most common behaviors leading to suspensions were aggressive or threatening behavior, fighting, derogatory or discriminatory comments, tobacco and nicotine possession or vaping, and THC possession or vaping.

Belonging survey data presented by Rakeda Leaks, the district's executive director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, showed a parallel gap. In spring 2026 surveys, 53% of Black middle school students reported a favorable sense of belonging, compared to 67% of white middle schoolers. At the high school level, the spread was narrower: 61% for Black students versus 70% for white students.

Overall belonging scores have climbed since fall 2021, when middle school favorability stood at 52% and high school at 45%. By spring 2026, those figures reached 66% and 68%.

In response, the district is forming a Secondary Student Support and Outcomes Task Force during the 2026-27 school year. The group will analyze patterns among students with multiple suspensions and among demographic groups with higher exclusion rates. Allison Boutet, assistant superintendent for secondary education, said the goal is not simply fewer suspensions but safer classrooms paired with effective student support.

Other planned steps include a high school Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) committee, six-to-eight-week behavior academies at the middle school level, expanded alternatives to exclusionary discipline and deeper use of restorative practices.

Board member Amanda McMillen called the report both the hardest to read and the most important the board receives each year. Board President Charles Cush acknowledged the difficulty of the work, saying there is no simple answer.

The task force's membership, meeting schedule and first reporting date have not been announced.