Gifted Identification Across the Distribution of Family Income

Nicholas J. Ainsworth, Aaron J. Ainsworth, Christopher Cleveland, Leah R. Clark, Quentin Brummet, Emily K. Penner, Jacob Hibel, Andrew Saultz, Michelle Spiegel, Paul Hanselman and Andrew Penner

Working Papers from U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies

Abstract: Currently, 6.1 percent of K-12 students in the United States receive gifted education. Using education and IRS data that provide information on students and their family income, we show pronounced differences in who schools identify as gifted across the distribution of family income. Under 4 percent of students in the lowest income percentile are identified as gifted, compared with 20 percent of those in the top income percentile. Income-based differences persist after accounting for student test scores and exist across students of different sexes and racial/ethnic groups, underscoring the importance of family resources for gifted identification in schools.

Date: 2025-12
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https://www2.census.gov/library/working-papers/2025/adrm/ces/CES-WP-25-73.pdf First version, 2025 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cen:wpaper:25-73

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