Students from a suburban Connecticut high school chanted 'Trump' at black and Latino players on the opposing team during a basketball game - an act some believe was racially motivated.

Several students from Canton High School chanted 'Trump, Trump, Trump!' as players from Classical Magnet School were attempting foul shots during a playoff game Tuesday night, officials said.

The student body at the high school in Canton, an affluent suburb, is about 84 per cent white, according to state education data from the 2015-16 school year.

Canton High School (pictured) officials say the students' chant 'damaged our reputation'

Canton High School Principal Andrew DiPippo expressed his regret in a letter to parents

Spectators at the game who were there to support Classical - a school with predominantly black and Latino students - told the Hartford Courant that the chants occurred throughout the game, not just at the free throw line.

They also reported seeing Trump signs and Trump-Pence campaign apparel in the Canton fan section.

Chants included a sing-song, 'He's our president!', said 16-year-old Azaria Porter, a Classical junior who is team manager for the boys' basketball squad.

'I'm not sure what politics has to do with basketball,' said Porter. 'It was just annoying. It was like, okay, we get it.'

Classical Magnet School (pictured) defeated Canton 48-47 in the semifinal conference game and will play in the North Central Connecticut Conference championship on Friday

After the game, Canton officials began receiving emails and phone calls from angry parents.

Canton High School Principal Andrew DiPippo expressed his regret in a letter to parents.

'While students' right to free speech and forming educated opinions about politics and current events is a cornerstone of our educational system, the exact point where political opinion converges with disrespect, discrimination or hate speech must be separated,' DiPippo wrote.

DiPippo said the students damaged the district's reputation as a welcoming community.

Schools nationwide have reported similar incidents in the wake of Donald Trump's election

Canton Schools Superintendent Kevin Case said the school is conducting an investigation into the incident. Case did not comment on possible disciplinary action toward the students involved.

Despite the chants, Classical defeated Canton 48-47 in the semifinal conference game and will play in the North Central Connecticut Conference championship on Friday.

Similar incidents have occurred throughout the country since Donald Trump became president.

In November, students from the wealthy Connecticut town of Wilton chanted 'build a wall' during a football game against Danbury, a city with a significant immigrant population.

Students in Texas chanted the same phrase during a volleyball game against a school near the US-Mexico border.