Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, WalletHub examined the racial progress and integration levels of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and found the nation's capital to be dead-last in racial integration in education and civic engagement.
The site considered the differences between whites and blacks in share of residents with at least a high school degree, share of residents with at least a bachelor's degree, NAEP math and reading scores, and standardized test scores. Racial integration provides a snapshot of the current state of affairs, examining 2015 data, while racial progress compares 1970 data to 2015.
Here's how the states measured up:
The District of Columbia has the highest income disparities in the country, with the city's highest earners bringing home more than $151,132 per year, and the lowest earners making less than $20,151, for a nation-wide high income inequality factor of 7.5, according to 2013 Census data. But while income discrepancies are certainly a determinant in school quality and performance — poverty takes a real toll on learning, and those in higher income areas traditionally have better access to better schools, early childhood education and have fewer external factors placing a strain on learning — one recent study found the greatest achievement gaps exist within the same schools.
A 2015 NAEP study found that as the number of black students in a school increased, so did the achievement gap, with young men of color being especially vulnerable. With only a 3.4% black population in West Virginia, 2.5% in New Mexico and 7.4% in Oklahoma according to Census data, compared to 48.3% in D.C., this could have some credibility. However, when fellow bottom dwellers Minnesota, which has only a 6% black population, and South Dakota, with its 1.8%, are examined, the study's data doesn't hold up, suggesting a deeper issue with schools' abilities to address the needs of and serve students of color.
When the conversation looks at change over time, however, the current bottom dwellers fall to the middle of the pack, suggesting that even though the current achievement and attainment gaps are dismal, some progress has been made over the last 45 years.