STUDENT DIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA LAW SCHOOLS
This section examines law school diversity through two approaches. The first approach investigates the enrollment patterns of the 17,102 JD students enrolled in California law schools by law school type in 2022. The second approach analyzes student diversity across California’s three types of law schools.
WHERE DO STUDENTS ENROLL?
The prior section showed that over two-thirds of California’s law students are enrolled in ABA-approved schools. This section will explore how law school enrollment type varies by race/ethnicity, gender identity, and the intersection of both.
White law students were more likely than students of color to enroll in an ABA-approved school. In contrast, students of color were more likely to enroll in a CALS than white students.
Figure 3 shows law school enrollment patterns based on race/ethnicity, gender identity, and the intersection of both. A higher percentage of white law students (76 percent) were enrolled in ABA-approved law schools, while only 66 percent of law students of color enrolled in those schools. There is no notable difference in the law school destinations of men of color and women of color. Both groups exhibited similar enrollment rates, with 67 percent of men of color and 68 percent of women of color enrolled in ABA-approved schools. The results also show that men and women were equally likely to enroll in an ABA-approved school (70 percent). However, a significant majority of nonbinary law students (93 percent) enrolled in an ABA-approved school.
Figure 3. 2022 JD Enrollment in California Law Schools by Race/Ethnicity and Gender Identity
There is substantial variation in law school enrollment patterns among race/ethnic groups.
As noted above, there are disparities in ABA-approved law school enrollment rates between law students of color and white students. However, it is important to note that substantial variation exists among the racial/ethnic groups comprising students of color (see figure 4). For example, 76 percent of Asian law students were enrolled in an ABA-approved school, the same as white students, and multiracial students have the highest enrollment rates in ABA-approved law schools (80 percent). The majority of Latino and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander law students are also enrolled in an ABA-approved law school. In contrast, the majority of American Indian and Black law students are enrolled at a CALS, with 58 and 51 percent enrollment rates, respectively. Nearly one-third of Latino law students are enrolled at a CALS. Finally, Black and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander law students have the highest enrollment rates at the state’s unaccredited law schools (9 and 8 percent, respectively).
These findings emphasize the significance of examining specific race/ethnicity groups when reporting results for people of color. Disaggregating the data offers a deeper understanding of the nuances within different racial/ethnic groups’ enrollment rates compared to white students. While some groups exhibit similar enrollment rates to white students, others demonstrate distinct patterns, such as a higher representation in unaccredited law schools. For instance, figure 3 indicated no difference in enrollment between people of color and white students in unaccredited schools. However, the enrollment rates in these schools for Black and American Indian students are twice as high as the reported rate for people of color.
Figure 4. 2022 JD Enrollment in California Law Schools by Detailed Race/Ethnicity
STUDENT DIVERSITY BY LAW SCHOOL TYPE
The preceding analysis explored enrollment patterns in different types of law schools by race/ethnicity and gender identity, focusing on exploring how this varies by groups of students. This section explores the demographic composition of each type of law school. In so doing, it provides insights into how the demographic makeup of each type of law school compares to the demographics of California’s adult population.
The CALS and unaccredited law schools are more reflective of the state’s racial/ethnic diversity than the ABA-approved schools. In contrast, women are overrepresented at ABA-approved schools and CALS.
Figure 5 explores the composition of each type of law school relative to the composition of the statewide adult population.[8] While people of color constitute 62 percent of the adult population, they make up only 46 percent of students enrolled in ABA-approved schools. On the other hand, CALS and unaccredited schools are far more diverse, with over half of the students being people of color.
Additionally, women, who account for 50 percent of the adult population, comprise nearly 60 percent of students enrolled at both ABA-approved law schools and CALS.
Figure 5. Racial/Ethnic and Gender Composition of 2022 California JD Enrollment by Type of Law School Compared with California’s Adult Population
Note: Data on California’s adult population in this figure and in tables 2 and 3 represents the year 2022 and was drawn from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Center.
Women of color are the largest group of students across all three types of law schools when examining enrollment along the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender identity.
The proportions of students enrolled at ABA-approved schools and unaccredited schools who are women of color are the same (29 percent). However, women of color account for nearly one-third of CALS students. In contrast, men of color comprise just 17 percent of students at the ABA-approved schools and less than 25 percent of students at the state’s unaccredited schools. See table 2.
Table 2: Composition of 2022 California JD Enrollment by Type of Law School Compared with California’s Adult Population
Note: Data on California’s adult population represents the year 2022 and was drawn from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Center. Due to rounding, numbers presented do not add up precisely to totals. Values below one percent are reported to the nearest tenth. Blank cells indicate unavailable data.
At the state's ABA-approved schools, Latino law students are significantly underrepresented compared to their representation among the state’s adult population, while white students are significantly overrepresented. At the unaccredited schools, Black law students are overrepresented, as they comprise nearly one in five students.
Table 3 provides a detailed breakdown of the racial/ethnic composition of each type of law school. As noted above, although only 38 percent of the state’s adult population identify as white, nearly half of all students enrolled in ABA-approved schools are white. This overrepresentation contrasts with the underrepresentation of Latinos, who comprise 37 percent of the state’s adult population and only 20 percent of the population at the state’s ABA-approved schools.
Asian and Black law student representation among ABA-approved school students aligns with their respective proportions in the state’s adult population. However, Black law students are significantly overrepresented among students enrolled in the state’s unaccredited law schools, where they constitute nearly one in five students enrolled. Students who identify as multiracial are seven percent of ABA students; this is more than three times the share of adults statewide who identify as multiracial.
Table 3. Detailed Racial/Ethnic Composition of 2022 JD Enrollment by Type of Law School Compared with California Adult Population
Note: Data on California’s adult population represents the year 2022 and was drawn from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Center. Due to rounding, numbers presented do not add up precisely to totals. Values below one percent are reported to the nearest tenth. Blank cells indicate unavailable data.