Poverty Pervasive Among Public School Students in Southern and Western U.S.

According to a recent Southern Education Foundation (SEF) study, a majority of public school children in 17 U.S. states were from low income households during the 2010-2011 school year. These states were concentrated in the South and West.  A Washington Post article on the study noted that the SEF based its findings on the number of public school students from preschool to grade 12 who were eligible for free or reduced price meals.

The study also found that, in 2011:

• the number of low-income students in the U.S. had increased by 32% (approximately 5.7 million children) since 2001;
• 48% of U.S. public school students were low-income;
• in order of percentage of low-income public school students in each U.S. region, the South had the highest (53%), followed by the West (50%), Midwest (44%), and Northeast (40%);
• Mississippi had the highest rate of low-income students in the state overall (71%) and New Mexico had the highest rate of suburban low-income students (72%); and
• the percentage of low-income students in Connecticut was 34% overall, ranging from 13% in rural areas to 62% in urban areas.