Demographic analyses and projections provide a reasonably good portrait of the students of the 21st century and should be considered when planning for their education. Melding U.S. fertility and immigration data, it is clear that the future of the United States will be steadily more minority and less white. Shortly after the turn of the century, one out of three adult U.S. citizens will be non-white. The most conservative projection estimates that 48 percent of students will be minorities. Were the United States still a youth-oriented society, the prospects of marshaling the resources necessary for the schools to serve the variety of ancillary missions expected (day care, recreation, etc.) while successfully meeting pressing educational challenges might seem bright. However, the United States is a rapidly aging society faced with difficult resource allocation choices. One choice may well be between education and health care. The schools of the 21st century face the challenge of educating future citizens within the context of an entirely new order of pluralism. More than ever before, these students will be characterized by poverty, native languages other than English, physical and emotional handicaps, and ethnic and cultural diversity. Astonishingly, despite these inevitabilities, the present concern is with tightening standards for educational outcomes, rather than taking steps to ensure that every child has a reasonable chance of attaining them. Demographically, it is the wrong time to orient schools toward serving as screening mechanisms. Schools are needed to create winners, not pick winners. The goal should be to make sure that every child succeeds in school. (JB)