Brown v. Board of Education declared that separate-but-equal is inherently unequal and outlawed segregation in public schools. What did the Court hold?

• A. Segregation is constitutional if facilities are equal.
• B. Separate-but-equal is inherently unequal; school segregation is unconstitutional.
• C. The decision applied only to higher education.
• D. The Fourteenth Amendment does not apply to education.

Answer: (B)

The Court’s ruling centers on how the Equal Protection Clause applies to education. It held that the doctrine of separate-but-equal cannot be applied to public schools because segregation itself conveys the message that one race is inferior, which undermines the promises of equal protection and equal opportunity under the law. Even if facilities were equal in quality, the separation by race creates inequality in practice and harms students’ educational experiences and status as citizens. Because of this, school segregation is unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment.

This is why the correct statement is that separate-but-equal is inherently unequal and school segregation is unconstitutional, a decision that extended to all public elementary and secondary schools, not just higher education, and it confirms that the Fourteenth Amendment does apply to education. The other choices misstate the outcome or scope: segregation is not allowed even with equal facilities, the ruling covers all levels of public schooling, and education rights are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.