students and black students, using the legal doctrine of separate but equal education established in the Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896. Although the federal courts overturned Plessy and mandated that schools be integrated in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the school district did not integrate until 1964. African-American children attended Melbourne Vocational School from the time it was built in 1921 until it burned in 1953. For five years they met in the abandoned hospital of the Naval Air Station, until 1958, when Stone High School was opened. When the schools were integrated in 1964, the former Stone campus continued to be used as Stone Middle School. In 1964, a federal lawsuit forced integration. The suit was dismissed without prejudice in 1976. As of 2007, of the 67 public school districts in Florida, Brevard is one of 18 that have unitary status, meaning that de facto segregation exists, but is not the result of state-sponsored discrimination while 16 remained under federal court jurisdiction. Since 1964 various schools including Stone Middle, Palm Bay High School and others as magnet schools and later MSAP and STEAM themed schools as part of voluntary desegregation programs. In 2012, about 33% of suspensions in Brevard Public Schools were given to black students, who constitute 15% of the student population. The Northern Brevard chapter of the NAACP filed a complaint with the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. A spokesperson for the school system responded that this type of apparent inequity is not unique to Brevard. Nationally, one in every six black students is suspended compared to one in 20 white students. The complaint stated that six principals were black, out of 86 schools; and that black teachers were infrequently hired. Schools In 2009, there were 86 public schools in the county. Prior to 2010, all schools were guaranteed sports budgets of $70,000 for high schools, $50,000 for middle schools, $75,000 for junion/senior high combination, and $45,000 for choice high schools. The school district made up the money that the school didn't raise. Budget cuts have prevented assistance of any sort since. Elementary schools In 2007, third graders stood first in statewide reading and math tests out of the ten largest school districts. Overall, they stood 11 out of 67 school districts. Middle schools In 2009, it was estimated that middle schools sports and intramural programs cost the county $236,000. This