Racial and Economic Gaps Persist in 8th-Grade Algebra 1 Access Across US Schools
Access to Algebra 1 in 8th grade varies widely across US schools, with clear gaps along racial and economic lines. New research shows that Black and Latino students, as well as those in high-poverty schools, are far less likely to take the course before high school. Some states are now introducing policies to address these disparities.
Only 45% of schools where most students are Black or Latino offer Algebra 1 in 8th grade. This compares to 61% of majority-white or Asian schools. The gap is even wider for schools with high poverty levels: just 46% provide the course, while 80% of low-poverty schools do.
Within schools that do offer Algebra 1, participation also differs. Among top-performing math students, 84% of Asian pupils and 68% of white and Latino pupils take the class. But for Black students with similar scores, the figure drops to 60%. Subjective placement decisions appear to play a role in these differences.
To tackle the issue, states like Texas and North Carolina have introduced automatic enrollment policies. In North Carolina, one large district saw a rise in Black and Latino 8th graders taking Algebra 1 after the change. Houston and Wake County have also adopted similar rules in recent years.
Algebra 1 acts as a gateway to higher-level math, influencing whether students later take courses like Calculus. Yet even with new policies, schools may need to do more to ensure fair access for all pupils.
The push for automatic enrollment aims to close long-standing gaps in math opportunities. While early results in some districts show progress, disparities remain—both between schools and within them. Ensuring equal access will likely require ongoing efforts beyond policy changes alone.
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