2009 Poverty Index
While overall poverty levels on Long Island are low, there are areas where at least 50% of the children receive free lunch.
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Why is this important?
Scholarly research shows that poverty is the most significant factor in determining how a child will perform in school. A child’s own family income is central, but it is not the whole story. The socioeconomic status of the community in which a child lives and goes to school is also important. Concentrated poverty—where many families in a certain area are poor—is far more disadvantageous than individual poverty alone.
A common measure of school poverty is the percentage of students in a school who are federally defined as eligible for free lunch. Using percent free lunch, schools can be thought of as “high” and “low.” In “high-poverty schools,” many students receive free lunch and thus poverty is highly concentrated. In “low-poverty schools,” few students receive free lunch.
How are we doing?
In 2007, 13% of students in Long Island schools received free lunch. This rate has stayed constant since 2004. The trend for New York State is more dramatic with state schools averaging 24% free lunch in 2007.
On Long Island, the concentration of poverty is extreme. In 2007, the 10% of schools classified as high-poverty schools had 56% of their students receiving free lunch, middle-poverty schools (80% of all schools) averaged about 9% of students qualifying for free lunch, and the 10% of schools classified as low-poverty had almost no students qualify for free lunch (.13%). Since 2001, the profound separation of school children by income levels has continued unabated in this period.
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Race, ethnicity and education
Historically, racial and ethnic groups in the United States, particularly Blacks and Latinos, are overrepresented among the poor. The cumulative impact of economic and racial segregation means that these populations are also over-represented in schools impacted by poverty. This creates a cycle in which those who need quality education most to raise their future socioeconomic statuses tend to go to schools that have highly concentrated poverty. On Long Island, Black and Latino students are much more likely to attend a high-poverty school (defined as 10% of schools with the highest proportion of students receiving free lunch) than either White or Asian students. 89% of students in high-poverty schools are either Black or Latino. In contrast, in low-poverty schools, only 14% of students are either Black or Latino.