Affluent Children Perform Better on Standardized Tests

Every year, millions of students are required to take one or more standardized tests. The format of these tests can vary dramatically depending on grade level and purpose, but the overall goal is the same: to measure the aptitude and skills of students. Rigorous tests – such as the SAT and ACT – can determine how bright of a future an individual student may have, influencing which colleges he or she will be able to attend. Increasingly, research is showing that test scores are not as strongly correlated with intelligence or preparedness, but reflect a variety of other factors as well. What is the relationship between test scores and income? Let’s take a look at how the latter affects the former.

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The Impact on SAT Scores

Considered the most important standardized test by many, the SAT can affect which colleges students are accepted into, what scholarships are available and much more. There is an entire industry of experts for SAT prep that help countless thousands of high school students prepare for the exam. If you’re in a financially stable or affluent household, then having access to SAT preparation may be something taken for granted. However, lower income students often do not have access to the same tools.

Research has shown that those coming from households earning less than $20,000 per year score approximately 55 points below the national average on the SAT. Those coming from households earning $200,000 or more score 80 points above the national average. Those in households earning between $60,000 – $80,000 per year tend to fall in line in the national average.

Why Income Leads to Higher Test Scores

There is a clear correlation between higher income and better test scores, but what exactly causes this correlation? After all, it’s not as if having a huge pile of money in the home automatically results in better performance on tests. As it turns out, it may be more a gradual/snowball effect playing out here.

Students who come from households with higher incomes generally have the ability to hone their talents from an early age. A higher percentage are likely to be enrolled in preschool and other early childhood learning programs. Tutors for various subjects are more common in the home. Research even shows that wealthier households expose their children to larger volumes of spoken words than poorer households. All of these individual actions add up over time, and likely fuel the discrepancies in educational outcomes that are reflected in both SAT scores and those of standardized tests as a whole.

The Rule Is Not Exclusive

It is worth noting that this is not the absolute rule. There are many low-income students who perform above average on standardized tests; likewise, there are wealthier children also fail to score well. However, the likelihood of doing better on tests while coming from a financially-stable household is far greater than sheer chance allows. Due to the fact that this is fueled by an exposure to more educational benefits throughout early childhood and during school years, parents of all income backgrounds should consider how to best introduce their children to as many learning opportunities and test preparation as possible.