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Information Brief 2012-3

ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment by Family Income and Race/Ethnicity

Is the relationship of socioeconomic status and academic achievement the same for all student groups? The figure below shows how ACT-tested 2011 high school graduates’ college readiness varies with family income for each of five racial/ethnic groups.

ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment by Race/Ethnicity and Income

$100,000 and up
Race/Ethnicity% Met 0 CRBs% Met 1 CRB% Met 2 CRBs% Met 3 CRBs% Met 4 CRBs
Asian4691764
White910162045
Hispanic1513 181935
American Indian2116 19 1727
African American3517181416
$36,000–$100,000
Race/Ethnicity% Met 0 CRBs% Met 1 CRB% Met 2 CRBs% Met 3 CRBs% Met 4 CRBs
Asian111115 20 43
White1815201829
Hispanic3218191516
American Indian3718 18 1215
African American47211697
Less than $36,000
Race/Ethnicity% Met 0 CRBs% Met 1 CRB% Met 2 CRBs% Met 3 CRBs% Met 4 CRBs
Asian271616 17 24
White3119211415
Hispanic53181496
American Indian5816 14 75
African American66181042

Note: Based on data from 1,109,900 ACT-tested 2011 high school graduates in these racial/ethnic groups who reported family income. This count reflects a nonresponse rate of about 25% for these groups and may not be representative of the underlying population of ACT-tested high school graduates.

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