Income Inequality, Social Mobility, and the Decision to Drop Out of High School
Low-income high school boys are more likely to drop out of school if they live in a place with high income inequality, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution. Income Inequality, Social Mobility, and the Decision to Drop Out of High School finds that dropout rates among low-income students are more than 4 percent higher in areas with large income gaps between low- and middle-income residents. The authors suggest that low-income students in high-inequality areas may see economic success as unlikely or out of reach regardless of whether they finish high school.