Information Brief 2012-33
ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment by Family Income Level and Completion of the ACT-Recommended Core Curriculum
Socioeconomic status is related to academic success such that high-income students also have higher levels of academic achievement compared to low-income students. However, by completing a high school core curriculum that includes 4 or more years of English and 3 or more years each of mathematics, science, and social studies, low-income students can increase their achievement levels.
The chart below illustrates that by completing the ACT-recommended core curriculum, students, regardless of income, increase their likelihood of meeting 3 to 4 ACT College Readiness Benchmarks.
Percentage Meeting 3 or 4 ACT College Readiness Benchmarks by Family Income Level and Core Curriculum Completion
|Family Income Level||Non-Core||Core|
|Less than $36,000||11.6%||24.11%|
|Greater than $100K||46.19%||65.47%|
Note: Data based on 1,193,255 ACT-tested 2012 high school graduates who reported annual family income and provided course-taking information.
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