About this Indicator
The academic preparedness gap is measured by 8th grade proficiency levels in math, reading, and science on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) among low-income students who qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch and “higher”-income students who were not eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program. Higher income is defined as any level of income that did not qualify the student for free or reduced-price lunch. Family income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level qualifies students for free lunch, and family income between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level qualifies students for reduced-price lunch.[1]
Data Source
National Center for Education Statistics. National assessment of educational progress.
Note. State-level estimates for NAEP Science were not available for 2005, 2008, 2017, and 2019.
[1] USDA. (2019). National school lunch program. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/child-nutrition-programs/national-school-lunch-program/