Information Brief 2012-32
ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment by Annual Family Income Level 2012
Socioeconomic status has a substantial effect on academic success. Consistent with prior findings,1 the following chart shows the distribution of students’ self-reported family income and how their attainment of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in English, mathematics, reading, and science varies with family income. Approximately 45% of the graduates’ families have annual incomes less than $50,000.
ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment by Annual Family Income Level
| Family Income Level | All ACT-Tested Students | ACT-Tested Students Meeting All 4 Benchmarks |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $24K | 18.3% | 8.71% |
| About $24K–$36K | 14.8% | 12.6% |
| About $36K–$50K | 12.7% | 18.48% |
| About $50K–$60K | 9.3% | 22.98% |
| About $60K–$80K | 13.0% | 27.73% |
| About $80K–$100K | 11.1% | 33.06% |
| About $100K–$120K | 8.5% | 39.05% |
| About $120K–$150K | 5.0% | 41.24% |
| More than $150K | 7.3% | 49.2% |
Note: Based on data from 1,207,240 ACT-tested 2012 high school graduates who reported family income. This count reflects a nonresponse rate of about 28% and may not be representative of the underlying population of ACT-tested high school graduates.
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