More Than Half Of American Schoolchildren Now Live In Poverty

More Than Half Of American Schoolchildren Now Live In Poverty

"Overall, 51 percent of U.S. schoolchildren came from low-income
households in 2013, according to the foundation, which analyzed data
from National Center for Education Statistics on students eligible for
free or reduced-price lunches."

"The report shows the percentage of schoolchildren from poor households
has grown steadily for nearly a quarter-century, from 32 percent in
1989. "By 2006, the national rate was 42 percent and, after the Great
Recession, the rate climbed in 2011 to 48 percent," says the report."

"The analysis shows the highest percentages of poor students in
Southern and Western states. Mississippi had the highest rate of
low-income students -- 71 percent. New Hampshire had the lowest, at 27
percent.

“No longer can we consider the problems and needs of low
income students simply a matter of fairness," the report says. "...
Their success or failure in the public schools will determine the entire
body of human capital and educational potential that the nation will
possess in the future."