Research Report

Inequitable Opportunity to Learn: Access to Advanced Mathematics and Science Courses

Group of students working on a robotics assignment.
Melanie Leung-Gagné, Jessica Cardichon, Caitlin Scott, and Linda Darling-Hammond
May 2021 | Learning Policy Institute
Group of students working on a robotics assignment.

This report is the second in a series of Learning Policy Institute reports analyzing data primarily from the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). To examine historically underserved students’ access to advanced courses, this report documents the extent to which high schools serving large percentages of students of color and students from low-income families offer algebra II, advanced math, calculus, chemistry, and physics courses. The report also compares these course offerings to those at schools with lower percentages of these students. This analysis, which includes national and state information, demonstrates that schools with high proportions of students of color and students from low-income families are less likely to offer the advanced mathematics and science courses needed to prepare for a college and career path.