The functional form of the association between K-12 student performance and household income in U.S. school districts.

ABSTRACT: It is well-known that income can correlate with the academic performance of K-12 students in the United States (U.S.). However, the mathematical relationship between income and K-12 performance, and how it varies across states, remains poorly understood. To help fill this gap, this study examines the relationship between K-12 student performance scores (defined as the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations) and median household income, across more than 12,200 public school districts in 42 US states. The study focuses on performance in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics in 3rd and 8th grades during the 2018-2019 school year. A number of different mathematical functions are explored to quantitatively characterize this relationship, and the best fitting

SUBMITTER: Wodarz MN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12422497 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature