Preschool Suspension and Expulsion in the U.S.: What the Data Show
Suspension and expulsion are often associated with middle and high school discipline. But exclusion begins much earlier. Research reviewed by the Children's Equity Project shows that young children can be suspended, expelled, and subjected to other harsh discipline practices before they ever enter kindergarten.
The latest public-preschool data summarized in CEP's 2026 report show that suspensions have decreased over time in public pre-K settings, but major disparities remain. Black children, boys, and children with disabilities continue to be overrepresented in exclusionary discipline.
At the same time, the national picture is incomplete. There is no systematic national dataset capturing suspension and expulsion across child care centers. That means public-preschool data are important, but they cannot describe the entire early care and education system.
Preschool discipline statistics at a glance
Three figures from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection stand out:
- Black children: 18% of public-preschool enrollment, but 38% of preschoolers suspended one or more times.
- Children served under IDEA: 23% of enrollment, but 74% of preschool expulsions.
- Boys: 54% of preschool enrollment, but 84% of expulsions.
These are not small differences. They show that exclusion is concentrated among particular groups of young children.
CEP's report also notes that earlier foundational research found preschoolers were expelled at roughly three times the rate of students in K-12 settings. While the early childhood landscape has changed, exclusionary discipline remains an equity and child-development concern.
What the 2021-22 federal preschool data show
The U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection is one of the most important national sources for understanding discipline in public educational settings. The 2021-22 data reviewed by CEP provide a window into public preschool.
Racial disparities
Black children represented 18% of preschool enrollment but 38% of preschoolers who received one or more out-of-school suspensions.
CEP's report emphasizes that the research does not support a simple claim that Black children behave worse or differently than their peers. Instead, studies identify a complex set of contributing factors, including discipline policy, bias, school climate, educator preparation and support, working conditions, and differential treatment or support.
Racial disparities are also visible in preschool expulsion data. In the CRDC distribution presented in the report, Black children represented a larger share of expulsions than of enrollment.
Disability disparities
The disparity for children with disabilities is especially stark.
Preschoolers served under IDEA represented 23% of enrollment, 41% of children receiving one or more out-of-school suspensions, and 74% of expulsions in the disability figure presented by CEP.
Children with disabilities may display behavior connected to communication differences, sensory needs, developmental needs, trauma, or disability-related support needs. Exclusion can remove them from the educational and therapeutic environments designed to help them participate and develop.
This is why strong inclusion systems, coordination with IDEA services, and access to specialists matter as discipline-prevention strategies.
Gender disparities
Boys represented 54% of preschool enrollment but 84% of expulsions.
This pattern is consistent with earlier research cited in CEP's report, which found boys were more likely than girls to be subjected to preschool exclusion. The size of the gap suggests that adult expectations, classroom conditions, behavioral interpretation, and broader system factors deserve attention.
What do we know about suspension and expulsion in child care?
National child care data are much weaker than public-preschool data. CEP states that harsh and exclusionary discipline in child care centers is not systematically collected nationally.
Still, individual studies suggest exclusion can be common in community-based child care.
The report cites research in which:
- 39% of teachers in a Massachusetts child care study reported expelling a child in the previous year;
- 42% of infant/toddler programs in an Illinois study reported at least one expulsion in the previous year; and
- a more recent one-state study found 77% of participating programs had suspended a child, expelled a child, or both, with increases over time in suspension and expulsion rates.
These studies come from particular states and samples, so they should not be treated as national prevalence estimates. But they demonstrate why public-pre-K data alone cannot tell us the full story.
Why child care data are incomplete
Early care and education in the United States is fragmented across many systems: public pre-K, private child care, nonprofit programs, Head Start, family child care, and programs supported by different state and federal funding streams.
Those systems do not all collect the same discipline information. Formal suspension and expulsion can also be easier to count than informal exclusion, such as shortened days or repeated requests for a family to pick a child up early.
The result is a major policy problem: decision-makers cannot fully address a practice they cannot consistently measure.
Improved data collection would help states and programs understand how often exclusion occurs, which children are most affected, where disparities are concentrated, and whether prevention strategies are working.
What research says about the consequences of exclusion
CEP's review finds that suspension and expulsion are generally not associated with reducing challenging behavior. They are associated with negative educational and mental-health outcomes, including lower educational achievement and later depression.
Exclusion also removes children from learning time and relationships. For a preschooler, that may mean fewer opportunities to practice the very skills adults want them to develop: communication, co-regulation, conflict resolution, and participation in a group.
A discipline response that removes a child without addressing underlying needs can therefore produce a short-term change in the classroom without solving the problem for the child, family, or program.
What contributes to preschool discipline disparities?
The research reviewed by CEP points to multiple interacting factors rather than one cause.
These include:
- discipline policies;
- individual and structural bias;
- teacher preparation;
- access to behavioral and mental-health support;
- working conditions and educator well-being;
- school or program climate; and
- childhood trauma and unmet needs.
One study cited in the report examined the Black/White discipline gap and found differential treatment and/or differential support was the largest single driver of the disparity in that analysis.
That finding underscores a core point: discipline patterns are not only about children. They are also about the systems surrounding children and the resources available to adults.
How Head Start differs
Head Start's federal standards provide a different policy model.
The Head Start Program Performance Standards reviewed by CEP prohibit expulsion and limit suspension to extraordinary circumstances. Programs must also involve families and relevant specialists in planning for a child's continued participation.
Head Start pairs those limits with early childhood mental-health consultation, developmental and behavioral screening, family partnerships, disability inclusion, and other supports.
That combination matters because a prohibition without support can leave educators with a rule but no tools. A prevention-oriented system gives programs both expectations and infrastructure.
See the policy behind the numbers: Read CEP's full report comparing Head Start protections with state early childhood discipline policies.
Additional Content:
Head Start and Discipline: How Emotional Safety Protects Young Children Preschool Suspension and Expulsion in the U.S.: What the Data ShowExclusionary Discipline in Early Childhood: What It Is and Why It MattersCan a Preschool Expel a Child? Understanding Suspension and Expulsion Rules
News Mentions:
The Washington Post | ABC News | Fox 40 | The 74 | The Seattle Times| K-12 Dive| The New York Times
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no single national rate covering all U.S. early childhood programs. Public-preschool data show suspension occurs and has declined over time, but disparities remain. National child care center data are not systematically collected.
There is no comprehensive national count across all early childhood settings. Earlier research found preschoolers were expelled at higher rates than K-12 students, and individual child care studies continue to document substantial exclusion.
The data reviewed by CEP show a disproportionate impact on Black children, boys, and children with disabilities.
No comprehensive national system consistently captures suspension and expulsion across child care centers. This is an important data gap.
The research reviewed by CEP does not find that exclusionary discipline generally reduces challenging behavior. It is associated with negative educational and mental-health outcomes.