The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached a settlement with the Jersey City Board of Education requiring one of New Jersey’s top-ranked public high schools to end admissions practices based on race and national origin, marking another step in the Trump administration’s broader campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the DOJ said its Civil Rights Division entered into a voluntary settlement agreement with the school district to resolve an investigation into admissions at Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School in Jersey City.
According to the department, the agreement addresses what it described as race and national origin discrimination in the school’s admissions process.
As part of the settlement, the district will revise its admissions policy and eliminate any system that reserves places for students based on racial or national origin classifications. The Justice Department said the updated admissions framework must be in place before the 2027–2028 academic admissions cycle.
The agreement will remain in effect until mid-August 2029. During that period, the Jersey City Board of Education will be required to submit regular compliance reports to the Justice Department detailing how the school’s admissions process is being implemented.
School officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the settlement.
Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School is regarded as one of New Jersey’s leading public schools. According to U.S. News & World Report, it is ranked fourth in the state. The publication also reports that minority students make up about 81 percent of the school’s enrolment, while approximately 34 percent of its students are classified as economically disadvantaged.
The settlement comes amid a wider push by President Donald Trump’s administration to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the United States.
Since returning to office, the administration has targeted universities, colleges and public schools over a range of policies, including DEI programmes, campus protests related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, transgender student policies and climate-related initiatives. In several cases, the administration has sought to withhold or freeze federal funding from educational institutions.
President Trump has repeatedly argued that DEI policies unfairly discriminate against white Americans and men, signing multiple executive orders aimed at dismantling such programmes across federal agencies and encouraging similar changes in the private sector.
Civil rights organisations and education advocates, however, have criticised the administration’s approach, arguing that diversity initiatives help address longstanding inequalities affecting women, ethnic minorities and LGBT communities. They have also raised concerns that the administration’s actions could undermine academic freedom, due process and free speech protections.
The Justice Department said the settlement with the Jersey City school district is intended to ensure that future admissions decisions comply with federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination based on race or national origin.
