There’s a large body of research that links social class to academic outcomes like GPA. However, we know relatively little about how discrimination related to social class impacts students’ success. A new study in the Journal of Adolescence by IDS affiliate Christy Starr, IDS graduate fellow Anna Veenendall, and Zena Mello helps us to better understand the role discrimination plays a role in academic achievement gaps.
Starr, Veenendall, and Mello focused on adolescent students from economically disadvantaged or non-college-educated families, examining how discrimination that was tied to family income, parental education, or job status affects both school performance and emotional well-being. The study is among the first to explore multiple perpetrators of class-based discrimination —including teachers, classmates, friends, and community members. Additionally, the researchers used a statistical approach that identified subgroups within their sample of adolescent students to help them pick up on patterns around how students experienced discrimination. The study identified four distinct groups or profiles: teens who rarely experienced discrimination, those who experienced it primarily in school, those who experienced it mainly outside of school, and those who experienced it frequently across all settings. Notably, nearly three-quarters of participants fell into the low-discrimination group based on self reports.
Students who reported higher levels of discrimination from teachers and classmates consistently had lower grades and grade point averages compared to peers who experienced less in-school discrimination. When discrimination occurred outside of school, its impact on academics appeared less severe.
The study examined socio-emotional outcomes such as school isolation and impulsivity. Teens facing frequent or school-based discrimination reported feeling more isolated and struggled more with impulsive behavior, factors that can interfere with learning and classroom engagement. The researchers suggest that discrimination within schools may be particularly harmful because it affects students in the very environment where they are expected to learn and succeed. According to lead author Starr, “when students feel excluded or judged in the classroom because of their social class, it can undermine their concentration, confidence, and a sense of belonging in school.”
According to the study, Black adolescents were more likely to report frequent discrimination, while girls were more likely to experience it within school settings. Family income and parental education, however, did not significantly predict who experienced discrimination, possibly because all participants were already economically disadvantaged.
The findings highlight the need for schools to address class-based bias more directly. The researchers recommend expanding teacher training to include social class awareness and reducing institutional barriers that disproportionately affect low-income students. According to Starr, “Teachers frequently come from middle-class backgrounds and may be unaware of the social class biases that they bring into the classroom. Expanding teacher bias training to include social class could help teachers better support adolescents from lower class backgrounds.”