According to a recent Southern Education Foundation report, the majority of children in America’s public schools are now low-income. Specifically, the share of school children who qualify for free or reduced lunches crossed the 50 percent threshold in 2013. That compares to fewer than 32 percent back in 1989.
As indicated by the study and reported by CNNMoney, there are a number of factors behind this trend, including the fact that higher income families are having fewer children, immigration is bringing more low-income children into school systems, and the economy has not produced enough high quality jobs. The growing share of poorer children is likely to have significant impact on both educational and economic outcomes.
About 90 percent of America’s children attend public school, with test scores clearly reflecting that low-income students are far less proficient in reading and math than their more affluent peers. In 2013, only 20 percent of students who were eligible for subsidized lunches were proficient in math, compared to 49 percent of those who were not eligible.
