The Impact of Income Disparity on AP Performance in Texas Schools

• In Event: Supporting Diverse Gifted Learner Needs

Abstract

The College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) program is a widely used metric of how high school students perform with an accelerated curriculum and instruction. Using data from the Texas Education Agency, the study explored how family income and district locale (city, suburb, town, and rural) influence students’ AP participation and performance across all Texas school districts. Economically disadvantaged students participated in AP at a lower rate than their peers, with the participation gap especially pronounced in town and rural districts. Although these students also showed lower AP performance overall, differences by locale were less consistent. These findings suggest that structural barriers, rather than academic potential, contribute to AP participation gaps for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Authors

• Debi K. Torres, Baylor University

• Jianwen Song, Baylor University

• Todd Kettler, Baylor University

• James Bishop, The Passionate Mind Institute