The Resegregation of North Park
When Kathy Taylor toured Jefferson Elementary in North Park, she wondered, "Is this really my neighborhood school?"
It didn't look like the crowds at summer concerts she attends on the northern edge of Balboa Park, where families picnic to the backdrop of the downtown skyline. Most of the Jefferson students were poor. Many were still learning English.
Jefferson Elementary is indeed her neighborhood school. But more than half of the public school students who live in the North Park neighborhood around Jefferson Elementary don't go there, and that doesn't include many other families who choose private schools. Scores of other families from outside of the area go out of their way to get into Jefferson.