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The Opportunity Gap

Is Your State Providing Equal Access to Education?

ProPublica analyzed federal education data from the 2009-2010 school year to examine whether states provide high-poverty schools equal access to advanced courses and special programs that researchers say will help them later in life. This is the first nationwide picture of exactly which courses are being taken at which schools and districts across the country. More than three-quarters of all public school children are represented. Read our story and our methodology.

From http://projects.propublica.org/schools. © Copyright 2011 Pro Publica Inc.

Find a school

Donald E Gavit Middle/High School

1670 175TH ST, HAMMOND, IND., 46324 | Grades 6-12

Districts with 3,000 or more students
Students Total Teachers Inexp. Teachers AP Courses
This School
1,405
93
13% 6
District 13.5K 820 15% 6
State 720K 41,652 9% 10
 
State Average
 
District Average

Percentage of relevant students who...

Get Free/Reduced Price Lunch

43%
72%

66%
State Avg: 43% District Avg: 72%

Take at Least One AP Course

16%
8%

8%
State Avg: 16% District Avg: 8%

AP Pass Rate

45%
50%

20%
State Avg: 45% District Avg: 50%

Take Advanced Math

11%
6%

1%
State Avg: 11% District Avg: 6%

Are in a Gifted/Talented Program

14%
6%

8%
State Avg: 14% District Avg: 6%

Take Chemistry

20%
16%

7%
State Avg: 20% District Avg: 16%

Take Physics

7%
9%

0%
State Avg: 7% District Avg: 9%

Are

0%
0%

0% Am Indian
State Avg: 0% District Avg: 0%
2%
0%

0% Asian
State Avg: 2% District Avg: 0%
17%
32%

35% Black
State Avg: 17% District Avg: 32%
9%
44%

34% Hispanic
State Avg: 9% District Avg: 44%
70%
24%

31% White
State Avg: 70% District Avg: 24%

Donald E Gavit Middle/High School, in Hammond, Indiana, is part of the School City Of Hammond district. The school reports enrolling 1,405 students in grades six through 12, and it has 93 teachers on staff.

Donald E Gavit Middle/High School is above the state average but below the district average in terms of the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. On average, 43 percent of students in Indiana are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs, whereas 66 percent of Donald E Gavit Middle/High School students do. At the district level, 72 percent of students are eligible.

ProPublica's analysis found that all too often, states and schools provide poor students fewer educational programs like Advanced Placement, gifted and talented programs, and advanced math and science classes. Studies have linked participation in these programs with better outcomes later in life. Our analysis uses free and reduced-price lunch to estimate poverty at schools. We based our findings on the most comprehensive data set of access to advanced classes and special programs in U.S. public schools — known as the Civil Rights Data Set— released by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Donald E Gavit Middle/High School has an enrollment rate of 1 percent for advanced math classes, and 7 percent of students take chemistry. The enrollment rate for the school's gifted and talented program is 0 percent.

New Washington Middle/High School, in New Washington, Ind., is a lower-poverty school than Donald E Gavit Middle/High School, with 32 percent of its students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The school enrolls 1 percent of students in its gifted and talented program.

These data points were reported by schools and districts to the Office for Civil Rights. For more information about the data, see our full methodology.

— Generated by Narrative Science