According to the Department of Education, 15.5 percent of public schools required uniforms in the 2007-2008 school year. This is an increase of about 6 percent from a decade earlier. Schools should have uniforms: a uniform does not define anyone, it is just an outfit for the time school is in session, and it can help solve a lot of other problems.

First,students focus more on studies and grades instead of clothing and shopping. According to educational researcher Barbara Cruz, school  crime has dropped 22% while attendance has increased in schools that have adopted uniforms. There is even a trend of higher test scores in reading and math. This shows how impactful the social pressures of school can be on student grades, and uniforms can help solve that problem.

Second, no one would get defined by their clothes. Schools with uniforms believe that students who are well-dressed are more likely to perform well in the classroom. School uniforms also reduce peer pressure because students aren’t being bullied for what they wear because everyone is wearing the same thing. Many schools even have voucher or donation programs so that even students who can’t afford a uniform can still have one. It’s much more difficult to form cliques, which can cause social conflicts, when someone’s identity isn’t predetermined for them by their peers just because of the clothes they wear.

Finally, school uniforms improve safety. Uniforms can make any intruder in the school immediately noticeable. Many schools also don’t allow their uniforms to be baggy, making it more difficult for students to hide weapons under them.  Plus, uniforms also help the school staff identify the students on field trips, and then they won’t get lost because someone will see them walking the wrong way, and uniforms can help find the student when they are lost because they will stand out.

Some people argue that school uniforms are too expensive and a waste of money. This, however, is not true. They are very helpful and worth the money…especially when things like getting rid of bullying and increasing student achievement are so valuable that they are priceless.