(WSBT) Thousands of local students are heading back to school this week. South Bend and Mishawaka schools started Tuesday. For the South Bend Community School Corporation, there is one major difference from past years: more students are wearing uniforms.

Ask Washington High School seniors Marcus Parker and Travis Roberts how they feel about school uniforms and you can probably guess the answer.

"I really don't think they're necessary,” Marcus Parker said.

But school administrators say they are necessary. In a survey the district took two years ago, 84% of South Bend teachers said they wanted students to wear uniforms.

Since then, they're mandatory in a third of the district's 34 schools; but Washington is the first local public high school to require uniforms.

"We want our focus to be teaching and learning,” said Washington Assistant Principal Byron Sanders. “And we know when everybody looks the same and is coming to school not with the purpose of looking the best but dressing appropriately then they can focus their attention on going to school and trying to get the education we are providing."

Both seniors we talked to say other students' clothing has never been a distraction.

"It's not going to affect me at all because I'm going to wear what I wear, and they're going to wear what they wear and we're both happy,” Parker told WSBT.

“I feel like they could at least give the seniors some slack” Travis Roberts said. “The uniforms made mandatory for the underclassmen, but the seniors, it's our last year.”

As students walk into Washington High School, at least the first few days of class, they'll see uniform examples in a display case. They can wear a collared shirt that's either white, green or gold, and khaki or blue pants.

“For three years I've been wearing regular clothes so now I really don't like the idea,” Parker said. “So it's going to be a big change."

Whether they like it or not, students don't have much of a choice.

Supporters of school uniforms say they also reduce violence and peer pressure. Kids at Benton Harbor Schools and those in the Concord school system are already wearing uniforms.

The School City of Mishawaka is talking about it, but so far none of those students have to wear them.