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Leela Karki Hasan

Is Success Dependent On Socioeconomic Status?



Written by: Tara Tulshyan

Visual by: Anamaria Reyes



Economic inequality has been steadily increasing in the US, and the gap has further been enlarged by the pandemic. In the past 40 years, the income of 90% of Americans has been decreasing, while a large percentage of income gains go to the top 1% of the population only. This economic disparity has also influenced the livelihoods of the children born under poorer families, and is a factor in determining their educational success.


Socioeconomic differences are already influential when students enter schools, and this is apparent in their academic performances even at an early age. “Very large SES(socioeconomic status)-based gaps in academic performance exist and have persisted across the two most recent cohorts of students when they start kindergarten. The estimated gaps between children in the highest and lowest fifths of the SES distribution are over a standard deviation (sd) in both reading and math in 2010 (unadjusted performance gaps are 1.2 and 1.3 sd respectively). Gaps in noncognitive skills such as self-control and approaches to learning are roughly between one-third and one-half as large (unadjusted performance gaps are about 0.4 sd in self-control, and slightly over 0.5 sd in approaches to learning in 2010),” (Emma García, Elaine Weiss). These children in the lower percentiles are born into poorer households, and “Among children in the low-SES quintile, in 2010 a larger share lived in poverty (84.6 percent, up from 71.3 percent in 1998),” (Emma García, Elaine Weiss). This large disproportion is dangerous because it shows how low-income kids are disadvantaged from the very beginning, on the basis of the households they were born into. This is especially troubling because the type of household someone comes from is not something which they can control.


Furthermore, this gap continues into higher education, and is demonstrated by the large gap in university enrollment based on SES, “those from the highest quintile of socioeconomic status (parental education and occupations and family income) were 50 percentage points more likely to be enrolled in college in 2016 than were their peers from the lowest quintile -- 78 percent compared to 28 percent”(Feds Release Broader…) Not only is the rate of enrollment in college different, but the quality of their education and the degrees that they ultimately pursue. One study revealed that, “Students from the lowest quintile who attended college were more likely to first pursue an associate degree (42 percent) than a bachelor’s degree (32 percent). Their peers from the wealthiest quintile, however, were much more likely to first seek a four-year degree (78 percent) than a two-year degree (13 percent),” (Feds Release Broader…). This is partly attributed to the expensive tuition fees for college students, which lower-income students cannot afford as easily. Therefore many lower-income students take shorter courses and degrees, such as an Associate degree, to decrease their student debt, and financial burden. However, this difference in higher education and the courses they pick leads to future income disparities too. Those who graduate with a Bachelor’s degree are more likely to obtain a higher paying job than those who only completed an Associates degree. However, those who cannot afford a Bachelor’s degree cannot afford the financial stress of an expensive four year course, supplemented by living expenses. It is a precarious situation for those of a lower-income family because they risk amassing a large student debt, but if they choose a cheaper degree they are more likely to get a lower-income job. So there is a higher probability they will retain their original socioeconomic status, and also plunge their children into the same vicious poverty cycle.


Therefore, socioeconomic status plays a big role in the success of an individual, as it determines their educational choices and academic success. There are exceptions to this, however, this is the general pattern in society today. Since families cannot control their economic status when their children are born, the root of this issue lies at the very beginning, which is Pre-K. Greater investments and reforms need to be created in public education programs to lessen the gap between young students, and to help narrow the disparity between those born into different socioeconomic status’.


Excerpt: This article highlights how the socioeconomic status of an individual strongly influences their academic success, as well as the educational inequality this causes in the US. Written by: Tara T.; visual by: Anamaria R.



Works Cited

  • Feds Release Broader Data on Socioeconomic Status and College Enrollment and Completion, www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/05/23/feds-release-broader-data-socioeconomic-status-and-college-enrollment-and-completion.

  • Report • By Emma García and Elaine Weiss • September 27. “Education Inequalities at the School Starting Gate: Gaps, Trends, and Strategies to Address Them.” Economic Policy Institute, www.epi.org/publication/education-inequalities-at-the-school-starting-gate/.


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