Implications of school uniforms on student achievement and self-esteem Over the past decade, school reform policy has taken a step towards promoting equality in environments schools. This is demonstrated by the adoption of common core standards, the replication of charter school models, and the recent increase in the use of school uniforms. There seems to be an assumption that if students are taught the same standards, experience the same school culture, wear the same clothes, their school experience will lead to a higher level of academic achievement. According to the 2015 United States News study, only one of the top ten ranked high schools in the nation enforces school uniform. Results from the top ten high schools in Illinois were incorporated into the same study, none of which require students to wear uniforms. The highest achieving students in the nation and in the state of Illinois do not wear uniforms to school every day. This trend is something that needs to be further explored because the populations that disproportionately wear school uniforms are schools that have a significantly high poverty rate. In fact, 47% of high-poverty public schools reported requiring school uniforms, compared to 6% of low-poverty public schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). For this reason, research is needed that studies the impact school uniforms have on student achievement as this is an imminent threat to educational equity. Purpose of the Study This research paper seeks to analyze the effect that wearing school uniforms has on the academic performance and self-esteem of first-year high school students. By carrying out a study that has both quantitative and qualitative components, we can obtain a rich and medium paper result. The goal of any school system is to ensure that students have the opportunity to achieve at the highest possible level; uniforms could hinder or perpetuate this reality. Potential Limitations There are few limitations to this study that need to be acknowledged. It may be especially difficult to find the necessary number of students to participate in the study since their participation depends on parental consent since most students will still be minors in their first year of high school. Additionally, the qualitative portion of this study can be somewhat limiting as it is difficult to compare and quantify feelings. Finally, coding in-person interviews can be challenging since there is no clear hypothesis or answer that researchers are looking for. Rather, they are trying to gather enough data to form a solid theory.