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. Income thresholds for eligibility differ by household size. For example, the annual income limit to qualify for reduced-price meals for a household of four is $44,863.
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 and 2017.