For the first time since the 1960s, majority of public school students in 17 states are low-income
Southern Education Foundation says majority in public schools in South and West now live below, on or near poverty line
For the first time since the 1960s, a majority of the children in public schools in the South and West of the United States come from families living below, at or not far above the poverty line, according to a new study. The study’s findings are part of a trend that is set to continue across the nation.
While the percentage of low-income students in public schools has grown across the nation over the last 20 years, there are now 17 states in which they represent the majority. Thirteen of those states are in the South; four are in the West.
The report, which was released this month by the Southern Education Foundation (SEF), a nonprofit group supporting education improvement, also found that schools with the largest proportion of low-income children spent the least in support of students.
A decade ago, only four states reported that a majority of children in their classrooms came from low-income families. But since 2001, the number of poor students has grown by 32% nationwide; in the same time, national expenditure on public schooling has increased by only 14%. The report warns that the “nation has not adjusted its support for public schools to reflect the educational