The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights lists less prejudice as one of the benefits of attending a diverse grade school. Not only does this help minority students experience less prejudice against them and build self-esteem, it also helps students who are not the minority. Students build a trust with diverse students and truly get to know them, helping them to be more open-minded later in life instead of closed to diverse groups of people.
A diverse grade school gives students the opportunity to get to know and become comfortable with many different types of a people from a young age. According to an article from the UCLA Civil Rights Project, students who went to diverse grade schools were more likely than students who didn't to choose diverse colleges and workplaces later in life. This increased level of comfort around diverse people gives students an important edge in dealing with all groups of people in their career.
Grade-school students are constantly learning. They are not only learning about reading, writing and mathematics, but they are also learning about the world around them. A racially diverse grade school helps students build an understanding of different cultures. Just as learning a foreign language is easier at a younger age, so is learning about a foreign culture. This increased understanding gained will follow students through high school and college and into the workplace.
An article from the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado states that "white students at the diverse school report almost twice as many interracial friendships as white students at the homogeneous school." The UCLA Civil Rights Project also mentions that students often list their interracial friendships as one of the most important benefits of a diverse grade school. The more people students have the opportunity to become friends with, the more social skills they will learn along the way.