Across the country, tens of thousands of high-achieving children are sitting at their desks, waiting for the challenge they deserve. But for many—and above all for those from low-income families—that wait won’t end.
Sure, we encounter some success stories. The child of an impoverished rural Ohio “town drunk,” Beth Macy became the first in her family to attend college, rising to become a journalist and, today, a contributor to The New York Times. At just 16 years old, John Roger Stephens, the son of a west-central Ohio factory worker and seamstress, became his high school’s salutatorian and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania; he graduated magna cum laude before becoming the three-time Grammy-winning John Legend. A few years Legend’s junior, J.D. Vance would soon emerge from Rust Belt poverty, ultimately attending Yale Law School and, yes, becoming the fiftieth vice president of the United States.
Their stories show that kids—even from the most difficult circumstances—can have what it takes to succeed in college and beyond. And as Americans, we love Horatio Alger tales of young people overcoming hardship to find adulthood success. It’s the American Dream!
Yet the tragic reality is that most high-achieving, low-income (HALO) students don’t have access to the opportunities that would open those doors. New research by Stéphane Lavertu, published by my organization, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, finds that in Macy’s, Vance’s, and Legend’s own Buckeye State, HALO students are outnumbered just 3-to-1 by their more affluent counterparts in third grade—but a decade later, they’re outnumbered 6-to-1 at four-year colleges and a staggering 10-to-1 at top colleges.
Thankfully, some HALO students are beating the odds.
What makes the difference?
While many factors are at play, our study finds that access to advanced coursework is one of the most significant. In Ohio, HALO students are more likely to attend a four-year—and a top college—if they receive gifted services. In middle school, advanced math is a key lever, boosting the odds of a HALO student attending a top college by 6 percentage points—and if the course is high school level, that likelihood jumps to 18 percentage points. And for HALO students in high school, taking just one AP or IB course is correlated with a 29-percentage-point spike in college-going. Our study also finds that being surrounded by high-achieving peers is part of this statistical boost. Simply put, challenging these students works.
And still, we systematically deny these opportunities to the students who need them most. Compared to their affluent peers, HALO students are 26 percent less likely to take advanced math in middle school, 34 percent less likely to take AP or IB or dual-enrollment courses in high school, and 44 percent less likely to receive gifted services in middle or high school. These aren’t just statistics—they are closed doors.
We’ve chosen to settle for a status quo that leaves a vast reservoir of human potential untapped. This is a tragedy for students and a crisis for our nation. But state and district leaders can choose differently. Our school systems can adopt policies that better serve low-income students.
The solutions start with widening the pipeline. First, find the students and put them in the right classes. Instead of relying on subjective teacher referrals or savvy parents opting in, schools should automatically enroll high-achieving students in advanced courses. Second, offer more seats in these courses. Advanced education is not a zero-sum game. There’s plenty of room for HALO students alongside their affluent peers. All students should be screened for gifted or advanced learning opportunities—regularly and across subjects—to give them lots of chances to show they’re ready for a challenge.
At the same time, policymakers should expand high-quality school choice. If a student’s neighborhood high school doesn’t have the capacity to offer AP or IB courses, for example, that student shouldn’t be trapped. States might consider selective-admission or magnet schools for high-achieving students or pass robust interdistrict open-enrollment laws. To ensure these programs actually reach HALO students, leaders must be intentional: set seats aside specifically for low-income students and launch information campaigns to ensure families know about these life-altering options.
How many future Nobel laureates, cancer researchers, or tech innovators are sitting bored in classrooms right now, their potential slowly draining away because of their ZIP code? How much more economic growth and human progress are we willing to forfeit?
We can—and we must—fix this. Identifying and challenging our brightest students, regardless of background, shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Those on the left value equality of opportunity; those on the right prioritize merit. Getting more HALO students on track to achieve their dreams checks both boxes. The Beth Macys, John Legends, and J.D. Vances should be the rule, not the heartwarming exception.
