High Schools' Socioeconomic Differences Breed Outcomes Gaps

"A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center revealed stark disparities in postsecondary outcomes for graduates based on the socioeconomic levels of their high schools. This year's annual High School Benchmarks report analyzed outcomes data for the high school graduating classes of 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. (The report defines a low-income school as one where at least half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and a high-poverty school as one where three-quarters of students qualify.)"

"The report found that just over half of 2024 graduates from high-poverty high schools immediately enrolled in college, compared to almost three-quarters of graduates from low-poverty high schools. Completion rates also varied widely between these school types; only about a quarter of 2018 graduates from high-poverty high schools completed a degree within six years, compared to 58.7 percent of graduates from low-poverty high schools, the report found."

"Over all, income and poverty-level differences between high schools led to wider outcomes gaps than other kinds of institutional differences, such as urban versus rural schools or high schools with lower and higher shares of minority students, according to the report. Students from low-poverty or high-income schools were also more likely to complete STEM degrees in six years, 22.4 percent and 17.5 percent, respectively, compared to 8.1 percent for high-poverty and 9.1 percent for low-income high schools, the report found."

Data for high school graduating classes of 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 compared postsecondary outcomes across school characteristics including urban versus rural location, income levels, minority share, and poverty concentration. Income and poverty differences produced larger outcome gaps than urbanicity or minority composition. Just over half of 2024 graduates from high-poverty high schools immediately enrolled in college, versus almost three-quarters from low-poverty schools. Six-year completion for 2018 graduates was about 25 percent for high-poverty schools and 58.7 percent for low-poverty schools. STEM six-year completion rates were higher for low-poverty and high-income schools (22.4% and 17.5%) than for high-poverty or low-income schools (8.1% and 9.1%). Low-income high schools have at least half of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch; high-poverty high schools have three-quarters qualifying.

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