The richest 10% outspend the poorest quarter over 13 to 1 per child on childcare, education and activities — up from about 3 to 1 in the early 1980s

The richest 10% of families in the United States spend 13 times more on childcare, education, and extracurricular activities per child than the poorest quarter, with this disparity having grown from a 3-to-1 ratio in the early 1980s. This finding is based on a 2026 study that measured 77 different investments, including teachers, tutoring, housing, food, and childcare, as well as unpaid factors such as parents' time spent with children.

By the age of 5, children from the poorest 25% of families receive $44,000 less in total investments than those from the richest 25%, which is a 24% gap. However, this gap in resources decreases to 12% by the time children enter elementary school. Despite this progress, achievement gaps persist throughout K-12 schooling. Schools do provide more tutoring and special education services for low-income students, as well as higher proportions of Black and Latino children, but only about 17% of school-age children received tutoring nationwide.

While tutoring has been proven to yield large test-score gains, it is not the same as investing in resources that help students "get ahead." Additionally, low-income students and students of color often have less experienced teachers, further contributing to the achievement gap.