Protecting and Promoting School Choice

EFI Publications

90/10 Education Gap: Struggling Students Lag Behind

A new study reveals a dramatic increase in learning inequalities between high-achieving students and their lower-performing peers in U.S. schools. The gap, termed the 90/10 gap, highlights how top performers are advancing while struggling students fall further behind. This disparity has grown significantly, raising concerns about educational equity.

Key Points

  • High-achieving students are progressing rapidly, widening the performance gap.
  • Lower-performing students are increasingly left behind in learning outcomes.
  • The study underscores systemic inequalities in U.S. K-12 education.

Implications for Educational Freedom

This growing gap underscores the failures of one-size-fits-all public education systems, bolstering the case for school choice options like vouchers and ESAs to empower parents in selecting better-suited learning environments. It highlights government overreach in maintaining monopolistic schooling that exacerbates inequalities, advocating for greater parental rights and educational freedom.

Source: The 90/10 Gap: Struggling Students Falling Behind

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