From the beginning, many of your TXGU students have odds stacked against them. A new study is helping us define the exact obstacles low-income students face on the way to college and how a snowball effect occurs from the time they get started. Reading this article that highlights the Education Trust study is well worth your time—but we’ve also got your CliffsNotes below:

1. They’re outnumbered from 8^th grade on, with only a 10% representation of socioeconomically-disadvantaged students scoring in the top quarter on math and reading standardized tests.
2. Almost one-third of low-status students live in rural areas and don’t have access to high schools with as many advantages (such as a calculus class, for example).
3. Even with the option of advanced classes, disadvantaged students are less likely to take them.
4. If they DO go after an AP course, they’re less likely to take or pass the AP exam.
5. The first four facts listed are things that stack against them when it comes to a college application. So theirs looks weaker compared to their peers.
6. Some disadvantaged students don’t/won’t even take the ACT or SAT. (23%, to be exact.)
7. They were statistically less likely to apply to highly-selective colleges. Not only are these recruiters not visiting their campus, but they weren’t aware that financial aid was a possibility.
8. Of course, the road has led them to attend college at much lower rates.

Obviously, some of this is certainly not new information for you—but this study provides a great starting place for what to target when supporting your TXGU students. With your help, these kids will beat some crazy odds and create a whole new set of stats to study.