Low-Income Students in Public Schools

Almost half of Michigan public school students living in low-income households, study shows, By Brian Smith, October 20, 2013, MLive: “A new study shows that 46 percent of Michigan’s public school children live in low-income households, part of an increasing trend nationwide.The study, published by the Southern Education Foundation, found that a majority of public school students across the Southeast and West live in low-income households, defined in the study as households eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program.Mississippi had the highest percentage, at 71 percent of all public school children, followed closely by New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas…”
Study sounds alarm over percentage of low-income students in public schools, By Karen McVeigh, October 17, 2013, The Guardian: “For the first time since the 1960s, a majority of the children in public schools in the South and West of the United States come from families living below, at or not far above the poverty line, according to a new study. The study’s findings are part of a trend that is set to continue across the nation. While the percentage of low-income students in public schools has grown across the nation over the last 20 years, there are now 17 states in which they represent the majority. Thirteen of those states are in the South; four are in the West…”