What is the Excellence Gap?

Excellence gap refers to the disparity in the percent of lower-income versus higher-income students who reach advanced levels of academic performance. The “gap” appears in elementary school and continues as students move through middle school, high school, college and beyond.

Myth All smart kids enjoy the same advantages … and “will be fine on their own.”

Fact We know that very smart, low-income kids increasingly fall to the margins as they progress through school, and far too many are discouraged from pursuing advanced education.

Myth If you’re smart, no matter your family income, good things come to you in school and outside of school.

Fact Despite scoring in the top quartile academically, students from the bottom economic quartile are much less likely to experience academically enriched experiences in high school than their wealthier peers. Less than half (49%) took at least one Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate course (compared with 71%). Only a third (30%) participate in an academic honor society (versus 51% of higher income students).

Myth All smart students get equal amounts of extra academic challenge and are exposed to teachers who have been trained to teach at the upper levels of achievement.

Fact No national standards exist, and states vary widely on how much money they invest in teaching at the upper levels of achievement. Teacher training is sporadic at best, especially in lower income school districts.

Myth By the time high-performing, low-income students reach high school, they have a clear path to college and benefit from generous financial aid and scholarships.

Fact High-performing, low-income students are at increasing risk of falling to the margins in high school. One in four (23%) do not take the SAT or ACT exam. Half (56%) do not apply for federal financial aid through the FAFSA. And 22% of students who are in the top 25% academically — but come from the bottom 25% economically — never apply to college.

Did You Know?

High-performing, low-income kids who “match” to a selective college graduate at the same rate as their high-income peers.

Overall, high-performing, low-income students are less likely to complete college than even their low-achieving, high-income peers.

Ages and Stages

Early Grades While data confirms that children born poor arrive at school less prepared, it also tells us that some 80,000 students per grade (K-5) qualify for free or reduced lunch and perform in the top quartile academically. Read More

Middle School Data reveals a 13 point gap in reading scores between low-income, high-performing students and their higher-income peers as they progress through elementary grades, meaning that lower-income students are less likely to remain a high achiever. Read More

High School While the number of low-income high school students taking at least one AP exam has increased in the decade between 2003-2013, gaps in both participation and performance remain among students from different economic backgrounds. Read More

College Pathways Stanford and Harvard researchers confirm that most high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds fail to apply to any selective colleges. Only 8 percent of high-achieving, low-income students are “achievement typical” in their application patterns, meaning they applied to institutions that closely matched their abilities. Read More

Proficiency vs. Advanced Learning

While a great deal of attention and resources have been focused on the achievement gap among students, which measures basic proficiency in subjects like math and reading, almost none have been devoted to the Excellence Gap at the highest achievement levels.

Policymakers increasingly see the relationship between connecting very smart, low-income students to brighter futures as a force for the vibrancy of our economy, our nation’s future prosperity, the strength of our global competitiveness, and improving the social mobility of America’s lower-income families. Unleashing the potential of millions of bright young Americans will shape our nation for generations to come.