8 Ways Schools Are Closing the Achievement Gap

Every student is unique, and so are the circumstances that they bring to the classroom. Differences in culture, socioeconomic status, language, gender identity, and more present different challenges for students as individuals and as larger demographic groups. These challenges mean that, historically, not every student has equal access to high-quality educational experiences. The resulting gap in performance—known as the achievement gap—has resulted in a persistent disparity between different groups of students.

One of the more glaring consequences of this unequal access is its impact on students’ STEM identity. When learners lack exposure to rigorous, engaging STEM experiences, they’re less likely to see themselves as capable scientists, mathematicians, engineers, or innovators. That sense of belonging, rooted in the belief that STEM is meant for them, is difficult to build without consistent access to the tools, mentors, and opportunities that make it possible.

Identifying and overcoming these achievement gaps in education has been a long-standing goal of K–12 schools, educational organizations, and government programs. Here’s what you need to know about the achievement gap, the solutions school districts have used to close it, and helpful strategies that any school can use to address their own gaps.

What Is the Achievement Gap?

So, what is the achievement gap in education? In K–12 schools especially, it’s the persistent disparity in academic performance between groups of students, especially along socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic lines. Specifically, when we discuss achievement gaps at a larger level, we’re addressing the differences in assessment scores between groups of students, each defined by a particular demographic such as race, gender, or socioeconomic status.

Achievement gaps aren’t just reflected in test scores and classroom performance, but are also tied to students’ socioeconomic backgrounds and the resources available to them. A 2024 analysis from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute reveals that a broad set of family socioeconomic status (SES) factors—including household income, parental education, and various home environment conditions—explain a large portion of the measurable gaps in achievement between racial and ethnic student groups. For example, these SES factors account for between 34% and 64% of the Black–White achievement gap and 51% to 77% of the Hispanic–White achievement gap, depending on grade level and subject area.

This research underscores how disparities in economic conditions, family resources, and early learning environments shape long-term outcomes such as academic achievement and access to opportunities. While SES differences don’t explain every disparity, they are a core driver of the opportunity and achievement gaps seen in K–12 schools.

Because many of these inequalities stem from factors outside of a school’s control, like neighborhood poverty or family income, educators must focus on the elements they can influence: quality of instruction, supportive classroom environments, early childhood interventions, and family engagement strategies that help expand access to opportunities and close gaps over time.

Where Are Our Achievement Gaps in Education?

Organizations such as the National Education Association (NEA) and programs such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) consider achievement gaps in education to exist in all measurable areas, including achievement in different subjects, on-time graduation, and college readiness. Between 1970 and 1988, schools made a concerted effort to identify and address these differences and developed programs and initiatives to help close the achievement gap. These efforts ultimately cut the achievement gap between Black and White students in half, and the gap between Hispanic and White students by one third.

However, since that time, both achievement gaps and opportunity gaps have widened. When looking at the data, it’s essential to understand that racial achievement gaps are not a reflection of students’ potential. Instead, they are the measurable result of systemic causes that include chronic underfunding of schools in low-income and minority communities, decades of historical disinvestment, and the lasting effects of discriminatory housing, education, and economic policies. Keeping this in mind, the most recent NAEP long-term trend (LTT) reading and mathematics assessments administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) showcase some widening gaps amid an overall downward trend in students’ scores since 2020. Most notably:

• Lower-performing students in mathematics experienced a greater decline in reading and mathematics scores than other students.
• While there were similar score drops for students both eligible and not eligible for the National School Lunch Programs (NSLP), the lower income students still have a 25-point gap in reading and a 34-point gap in mathematics.
• Female students experienced an 11-point score decrease in mathematics, widening the existing male−female score gap.
• A 13-point score decrease among Black students in mathematics and a 7-point score decrease in reading resulted in a widening of the White−Black score gap.
• Alaska Native / American Indian students saw the largest score decrease of 20 points in mathematics, dropping them below White students.
• Hispanic students saw a 10-point decrease in mathematics, further widening the White–Hispanic gap.

These disparities reflect the communities and systems students are navigating. And it’s important to remember that race, gender, income, and performance aren’t the only student identifiers with measurable achievement gaps. Students with disabilities, English language learners, and LGBTQ+ students are all groups that experience lower levels of performance and progress achievement in comparison to other groups.

However, there is continued hope for closing the achievement gap in education. Overall, the most recent data culled from the NAEP’s Nation’s Report Card points to a narrowing of progress achievement for Black and Hispanic students. For example:

• Black and Hispanic students are three years ahead in math skills compared to the previous generation.
• Black and Hispanic students are two to three years ahead in reading skills compared to the previous generation.
• Black and Hispanic NAEP scores have substantially improved compared to the NAEP scores of white students.

The post-pandemic recovery in education continues to be uneven, and as of Spring 2024, data from the Education Recovery Scorecard revealed that the average U.S. student remained nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic achievement in both math and reading (with students being even farther behind in reading than they were in 2022). However, there are local pockets of progress: About 17% of students in grades 3–8 are in districts that have recovered or exceeded pre-pandemic math achievement levels, 11% in districts that have recovered in reading, and 6% that have recovered in both subjects, showing that some communities are making measurable gains.

In short, progress in closing the achievement gap is being made; the key is to look at what has succeeded in driving it across different school districts and communities.

Examples of Successful Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gap

Recent research and case studies continue to show that achievement gaps are not inevitable, and that schools serving historically underserved students can make meaningful progress when they focus on opportunity, instructional quality, and strong relationships. A range of recent initiatives highlights how targeted, collaborative approaches can help bridge gaps.

The Schools of Opportunity Project: Redefining What School Success Looks Like

Since 2015, the National Education Policy Center’s Schools of Opportunity project has highlighted public schools that close opportunity and achievement gaps by focusing on equitable learning conditions rather than test scores alone. These schools, spanning urban, suburban, and rural communities, prioritize research-based practices such as expanding access to rigorous coursework, eliminating academic tracking, investing in teacher development, and creating strong systems of student support. Many also emphasize healthy school culture through restorative justice practices that reduce suspensions and keep students engaged in learning.

While their student populations and approaches vary, all Schools of Opportunity share a commitment to ensuring that high expectations are paired with meaningful supports, demonstrating that schools can improve outcomes by broadening access, strengthening culture, and meeting students’ academic, social, and emotional needs instead of solely relying on standardized test performance.

Everett Public Schools: Using Data to Make Achievement Gaps Visible and Actionable

Everett Public Schools in Washington State has taken a data-informed approach to closing achievement gaps, rethinking how student performance is measured and understood. Rather than relying on proficiency rates or test scores alone, district leaders developed a Performance Level Index that translates standardized assessment data into a clearer picture of how close individual students and student groups are to grade-level proficiency.

This index allows educators to see whether students are making meaningful progress within performance levels, identify persistent gaps among subgroups, and target interventions more precisely. By pairing this system with aligned instruction and personalized supports, Everett has been able to track accelerated growth over time, allocate resources more effectively, and make measurable progress in closing achievement gaps across schools and student populations.

Student-Centered Learning Models That Evaluate Underserved Students

Additional insight comes from the Student-Centered Schools Study conducted by Stanford’s Center for Education Policy Analysis. This research examined four Northern California schools where African American, Latino, economically disadvantaged, and English learner students achieved above district and state averages.

Across these schools, learning environments emphasized strong student-teacher relationships and instruction that was challenging, relevant, collaborative, and connected to real-life experiences. Students demonstrated mastery through multiple assessments and performance-based tasks, while educators were supported through ongoing collaboration, reflection, and leadership opportunities. The study ultimately found that these student-centered practices can be a powerful way to address opportunity gaps when implemented intentionally.

8 Ways Schools Can Close the Achievement Gap

Dismantling the systemic issues that affect different student groups requires coordination among administrators, teachers, parents, community members, and students. No one strategy by itself can work as a solution for closing the achievement gap. Instead, a combination of strategies is needed for both in-school and out-of-school environments, depending on each student group’s needs and the available resources of the schools and district.

We recommended the following strategies:

• Set high standards. Rather than “teaching down” to students, having high standards enables students to achieve at high levels. Schools that promote cultures of high expectations and strong teacher-student relationships tend to have the smallest gaps. High expectations tend to increase students’ sense of self-efficacy and motivation, which improves achievement, aspirations, and behavior. Set a rigorous curriculum that is aligned to and based on established standards, while ensuring that students have access to the support necessary to succeed.
• Establish benchmarks and track progress. Make closing achievement gaps a larger priority for the school and the district by setting reasonable, but challenging, goals for student success. Use formative assessments to determine how different students are progressing, where they’re experiencing gaps, and how teachers can provide assistance. Pinpoint which students are succeeding and where teachers should focus their attention. Be open and transparent with students about their progress and help them identify areas for improvement. Consider digital platforms like LearningHub to aid in authentic assessment, provide timely feedback, and monitor overall student progress.
• Offer more instructional time. Students facing achievement gaps will require more instructional time to overcome them. This often requires more repetitive instruction or more focused direction in small groups. Focused instruction needs to be clear and explicit and target students’ individual needs. To be effective, districts should determine how instructional time can be increased for different subjects during the school day and provide training for instructors on more efficient teaching techniques. Administrators, instructors, and community members will need to collaborate to determine the best way to provide additional time—before school, after school, during weekends, or over the summer.
• Provide training for instructors. Making measurable and sustainable progress toward closing achievement gaps requires a teacher development program. Developing and providing professional development training for instructors will ensure they’re supported in their roles and have the tools and knowledge to better assist struggling students. Initiating cultural competency or diversity programs can provide instructors with a stronger foundation for engaging diverse student bodies.

• Advocate for family involvement. To better close achievement gaps, collaboration must extend beyond the classroom to include students’ families and the larger community. Greater family involvement with student education is associated with higher student achievement, increased graduation rates, and positive behavior. School districts should explore establishing family centers at schools or other community locations to encourage parent involvement. See if it’s possible to offer workshops and consultations to inform parents on student progress and provide instruction and assistance on how they can help improve student performance at home.
• Use evidence-based instruction. Utilize instruction that is supported by evidence, including materials and methods found to be effective for large groups of diverse students. Evidence-based learning programs should include ongoing support from performance data, enabling teachers to better assess student progress and inform their instruction. Techniques such as project-based learning can provide students with a deeper understanding of concepts through a self-directed, evidence-based approach.
• Motivate and engage. Convincing students they can succeed is essential for increasing student motivation and engagement with learning. Matching tasks to students’ interests and applying them to real-world issues make learning more relevant and personal. Setting the right learning conditions is also important. Selecting engaging themes, technologies, and promoting student choice can create the right balance of external and internal motivations. Embracing self-directed learning and culturally relevant pedagogy can also better drive student engagement.
• Support equity and inclusion. Coursework and classroom environments that value diversity and make inclusion a priority are also key for student motivation and engagement. Offer training programs to increase the cultural competency of instructors, facilitators, and administrators. This ensures that educators are able to counteract any implicit bias and avoid assumptions about student performance and behavior. Diversity and inclusion initiatives provide direction and assistance in learning who students really are and where their strengths lie.

While these strategies are universal, some may be more or less suited to a particular grade level, student group, or opportunity gap. Because each achievement gap differs between settings and relationships, it’s important to attend to the individual needs of each and every student. Providing students with programs that enable them to choose their goals and freely share their ideas can help them feel more empowered, motivated, and successful.

When that support is balanced against frameworks and expectations, students are better able to become owners of their learning and overcome achievement gaps in their education. Solutions such as SmartLab promote student engagement while supporting instructors with the right tools and resources so they can focus on every student.

Looking for resources to assist you with closing the achievement gap? Download our free eBooks on Increasing Student Outcomes With Project-Based Learning and Best Practices for Achieving Equity in Education.

References

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP)

Hanover Research, School-based Strategies for Narrowing the Achievement Gap

The NEA Foundation, Closing the Achievement Gap Initiative