This Study presents evidence on patterns of and trends in interracial contact in public schools in North Carolina, focusing on the importance of racial disparities within schools as well as conventionally measured disparities between schools. Most previous social science research that has sought to measure school segregation has used data on the racial composition of schools and based measures of segregation on disparities between schools. 1 Consequently, this research can shed no light on any segregation that might exist within schools, that is, racial disparities across classrooms. In light of the ongoing debate in education policy concerning the