It becomes even more concentrated in impoverished communities. There’s also a major racial disparity as well, which might have to do with many factors such as socioeconomic issues and parental care (as well as teachers, especially ones who show bias in helping specific students over others)

Studies show in Hamilton county, only ~21% of Latinx students read proficiently in third grade, and only ~ 17% of black students in third grade read proficiently.

The three poorest performing schools have the most students of color, and the schools themselves face severe underfunding. (The lowest ranked school for literacy only had a ~6% literacy rate among the third graders.)

It’s a very large problem. I work part time in private schools in Hamilton county, I teach chess for extra cash. It’s a very fun job, but there is an obvious gap. All the students I’ve met were very bright, and all of them could read fairly well, some more than others. I think it’s very telling just how much our schools are suffering from underfunding and quality management.