Income Differences Do Not Explain the Large Racial Gap in SAT Scores

There always has been a direct correlation between family income and SAT scores. For both blacks and whites, as income goes up, so do test scores. In 2006, 24 percent of all black SAT test takers were from families with annual incomes below $20,000. Only 4 percent of white test takers were from families with incomes below $20,000. At the other extreme, 8 percent of all black test takers were from families with incomes of more than $100,000. The comparable figure for white test takers is 31 percent.

But, regrettably, income differences do not explain the racial gap in SAT scores. Consider these three observable facts from The College Board’s 2006 data on the SAT: