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According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 1 in 7 school-age children lives in poverty, which has a major impact on their education. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports that many children from low-income families show up on the first day of kindergarten unable to meet school-readiness guidelines. Also, only half of students who graduate from schools with the highest percentage of students living in poverty, known as high-poverty schools, head to college, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports — with just a quarter of those college-bound students earning a degree within six years.
To learn more, check out the infographic below, created by Augusta University Online, which offers a Master of Education in Instruction program that includes various language concentrations.
Poverty in School by the Numbers
In 2023, nearly14 percent of children ages 5 to 17 lived in poverty based on census data. Hispanic and Black students are more likely to attend high-poverty schools than other students, while students in urban areas and the South experience poverty at higher rates.
In total, the NCES reports that 38 percent of Hispanic students and 37 percent of Black students attend a high-poverty school, along with 30 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native and 23 percent of Pacific Islander students. White (7 percent), Asian (13 percent) and students who identify as two or more races (15 percent) are less likely to attend a high-poverty school.
A total of 9 out of 17 Southern states had a child poverty rate of over 18 percent in 2022, compared with only one state each in the Midwest, Northeast and West, based on census data. The states with the highest child poverty rates included Mississippi (26.4 percent), West Virginia (25.0 percent) and Louisiana (24.6 percent). However, NCES reports that children in urban settings (21 percent) are more likely to experience poverty than those in rural (14 percent) or suburban (12 percent) settings.
Learning, Performance and Poverty
Poverty affects children’s readiness for school, learning and school performance. Fewer than half of 5-year-olds from low-income families are ready for school, according to the AAP. Moreover, only a fraction of graduates of high-poverty schools earn a college degree.
How does poverty impact school readiness? Fewer than half of low-income children (48 percent) meet school-readiness guidelines at 5 years old, based on AAP data, compared with 75 percent of moderate- and high-income children. Lack of financial resources, parents with lower levels of educational attainment, poorer health, and higher rates of single or teen parenthood can all contribute to the impact of poverty on school readiness.
Poverty and Barriers to Learning
Conditions outside of school can impact children’s learning and development. Low-income students may struggle to complete homework or study because they lack access to computers and high-speed internet service. Their parents often work long hours, limiting the support and schoolwork assistance that their parents can provide them. Low-income children are also more likely to experience stress, which can harm their executive function and emotional regulation skills.
Long-Term Impact of Poverty
More than 1 in 3 children raised in low-income families in the 1980s failed to make it out of poverty by their 30s, according to Education Week. If those numbers hold true for today’s children, over 24 million Americans could remain impoverished into adulthood.
Graduates of high-poverty schools are less likely to attend college and less likely to earn a college degree, which can affect their lifelong earning potential. Half of high-poverty high school graduates enroll in college, compared with 71% of those who attend low-poverty schools, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Just 25 percent of college-bound graduates of high-poverty schools earn a college degree within six years, compared with 60 percent who attend low-poverty schools.
Combating Poverty in Schools
How can schools, community organizations and policymakers combat poverty in schools? Poverty is a complex social problem, but research indicates there are some effective ways to support low-income students.
Eliminate Barriers
Identifying and addressing barriers that students face in school can improve the educational outcomes of children from low-income families.
Charging fees, presuming students have the resources they need and assigning excessive homework can all unintentionally make school harder for low-income students. School assignment policies that push low-income students into high-poverty schools can also disadvantage low-income students.
Provide Resources and Services
Students can not learn without basic resources and services.
For example, launching a snack program or opening a food pantry at school can help address food insecurity among students. Providing health care services on campus results in healthier students and lower absenteeism. Furthermore, addressing the digital divide by providing low-income students with technology and internet access can help them keep up with their peers.
Focus on Early Learning and Higher Education
Poverty does not start when students enter kindergarten and end at graduation. By expanding early learning for low-income students and encouraging them to pursue higher education, schools can address poverty’s large impact on students’ success.
Partnering with pediatricians and child welfare agencies to help low-income preschool-age children develop the early literacy and numeracy skills they will need in school can help increase the number of children who are ready for kindergarten. Similarly, partnering with colleges to provide low-income students with scholarships, academic advising and other support services can help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
Learning From Research on Poverty in Schools
Combating poverty in schools requires community support, school resources and educators committed to fostering an inclusive learning environment. By understanding the challenges that students from low-income families face, educators can support these learners and improve their school performance.
Sources
American Academy of Pediatrics, “School Readiness”
American Psychological Association, Education and Socioeconomic Status
ASCD, “Leading with the Six Priorities in Mind”
ASCD, “Responding to Student Poverty”
Education Week, “Schools Can Help Make Sure Students in Poverty Now Don’t Grow Up That Way”
Forbes, “Poverty Impedes Children’s Education Long Before They Enter The Classroom — Here’s How We Can Change That”
Learning Policy Institute, “Adequate and Equitable Education in High-Poverty Schools: Barriers And Opportunities in North Carolina”
Learning Policy Institute, “Jump-Starting the Future for Students Living in Deep Poverty”
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, “Reducing Intergenerational Poverty”
National Association of Secondary School Principals, Poverty And Its Impact on Students’ Education
National Center for Education Statistics, Children in Rural Areas and Their Family Characteristics
National Center for Education Statistics, Concentration of Public School Students Eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, High School Benchmarks
U.S. Census Bureau, New Census Tool Provides Easy Access to Child Poverty Rates in Every U.S. School District
U.S. Census Bureau, Poverty in the United State: 2023
U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Poverty Rate Varies by Age Groups
