Wearing uniforms in schools is a very broad topic that some people may not know about.   

In 1222, the first recorded use of uniforms in school was in England. The uniform was a robe-like outfit that was called cappa clausa. Then, in later centuries, school uniforms became associated with the upper class. The first U.S public school to ever have it was in Maryland in the Fall of 1987. It was voluntary to wear a uniform, but most parents supported the idea of it. 

The first school to require students to wear a uniform in the U.S was the Long Beach Unified School District, California, January 1994. Pete Wilson signed the bill officially, making it legal to make mandatory uniform policies.

Pete Wilson was in full accordance with school uniforms even stating, “If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms.”  

Wearing uniforms — the pros: 

-Decrease of crime and increase student safety. In Long Beach, California, two years after the uniform law was put into effect the reports of assault and battery in the school decreased by 34%. Fighting incidents went down by 51% and robbery dropped by 65%. 

 -Uniforms foster a sense of belonging and unity. The National Association of Secondary school states, “When students are wearing the same outfit, they are less concerned about how they look and how they fit in with their peers.”  

Wearing uniforms — the cons: 

-School uniforms do not improve attendance, and academic preparedness. Brunsma found that uniforms do not affect or improve elementary school and eighth graders math, science, and history exams. The concern about uniforms takes away the attention of finding solutions to problems in education.  

-It restricts students’ freedom and expression. The first amendment of the U.S Constitution lets everyone have the right to express themselves freely.

In Sweden, a government agency decided that uniforms were a human rights violation with the argument of “Dresses and appearances should be considered an individual’s expression, decided by the students themselves.” 

During 2017-2018 in America, 19.8 percent of public schools required the students to wear uniforms. In 2019 and 2020 the percentage had declined to 18.8 percent, and it dropped even further down in 2021-2022 to 16.4 percent.