The opportunity society

Low income hinders college attendance for even the highest achieving students

That poverty and income affects educational outcomes adversely is well established. What is less well appreciated is the fact that even for academically high-performing students, income and poverty greatly affects subsequent educational attainment such as completing college....

The fact that low-income students who had been performing at a high level in 8th grade still have less than a one-third chance of completing college should be of urgent concern to educators and policymakers alike. With labor market opportunities intimately related to educational attainment, income levels should not inhibit the ability to attain higher levels of education.