New U.S. Census Report Shows Rise in Poverty: Kids’ Education to Suffer

It wasn't news to many of the educators across the country, but the poverty numbers remain alarming. While the economy has changed significantly since the Great Recession, child poverty remains a serious concern in many communities. Economic inequality, housing costs, inflation, and regional employment challenges continue to affect millions of families across the country.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the official poverty rate was 10.6 percent in 2024, with 35.9 million people in poverty. For public schools, those numbers are not abstract. They show up in classrooms as students arrive hungry, tired, housing insecure, or without reliable access to technology and academic support.

Poverty Widespread Across the Country

The U.S. Census Bureau report showed that statistically significant increases in poverty were seen in about 20 percent of the country during the recession years. As many as 653 counties experienced poverty increases among children between 2007 and 2010, and only eight counties nationwide reported a poverty decrease. The data provided represented single-year figures of 2007 and 2010 to study the change in poverty levels after the recession began. The numbers provided by the U.S. Census Bureau help determine the distribution of federal and state funding to local communities.

Nationally, nearly 20 percent of children qualified as poor during that period. In addition, one-third of the total counties in the country had thresholds well above that level, while one-quarter boasted numbers below the national average. Some of the states that showed the highest increases over four years

Chicago Public Schools have taken more than their share of beatings in recent months, with the latest blow coming in the form of school closures of underperforming schools. Parents have protested the decision by school officials and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, saying children previously attending closed schools will now have to travel further and through dangerous neighborhoods to get to class every day. In hopes of countering some of those fears, Mayor Emanuel has followed the announcement of school closures with an announcement of a new safety program designed to keep kids safe in the classroom and the community.

The Unveiling of the New CompStat Safety Program

Last week, Mayor Emanuel unveiled the new safety program, which is modeled after the CompStat program first used in New York in 1994. According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, the program is designed to hold law enforcement officers accountable and accurately analyze crime statistics in surrounding neighborhoods at weekly meetings. While this program was originally developed to enhance law enforcement throughout New York City, the model can also be easily customized to the school and community environment.

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy participated in the New York CompStat program for seven years while serving as head of the crime strategy for the NYPD. Now, he brings his experience to the Chicago program in hopes of uniting law enforcement, education officials, and religious leaders in weekly accountability and strategizing sessions to keep Chicago kids safer. Through

Facing pressure and a potential lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union, a small Missouri school district agreed to discontinue voluntary, single-sex classes in its schools. The Adrian R-III school district is not the first to come into the ACLU fight over single-sex classrooms since the U.S. Department of Education approved the practice under specific conditions in 2006. Single-sex classrooms have been the source of debate between government leaders and educators for some time, as studies supporting the practice have been somewhat inconclusive, but concerns over equal rights for both genders have come into question.

This CBS News video discusses single-sex schools.

Why Missouri Began Offering Single-Sex Classes

According to a report at Reuters, the Missouri school district began offering single-sex classes to certain grades in their schools this year. Students in grades 6 through 8 were the primary recipients of this choice, although some higher grades received single-sex class options as well. Class options included math and communication art, according to St. Louis Today. The superintendent of Adrian schools, Kirk Eidson, said the decision was made in the interest of students since some research indicates that students may perform better in single-sex classrooms.

“There were some behavioral issues that impacted learning,” Eidson explained to Reuters in regards to the co-ed classes. Eidson added that students who chose to participate in single-sex classrooms this year were doing better with fewer classroom

This article has been updated to reflect 2026 data and recent developments.

School closures have become a hot-button topic across the country, as parents, students, and community members continue to debate such actions by their local governments. In 2026, declining enrollment, demographic shifts, aging buildings, rising operating costs, and changing housing patterns are prompting some districts to consolidate campuses, redraw attendance boundaries, or close schools altogether. Public School Review's School Closure Risk: What Parents Should Check Before Moving examines these current pressures in greater detail.

Do closures of underperforming schools really improve the performance of students in those areas? We’ll take a closer look at two of the districts that have faced this difficult question, as well as research that may question this method as a means of raising the bar on education standards.

This video reports on proposed school closures in Columbus, Ohio.

Chicago Parents Question Closure Decisions

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel faced a serious education crisis after taking office in 2011. According to numbers from Catalyst Chicago that were reported in Progress Illinois at the time, 140 of the 675 Chicago Public Schools were eligible to be shut down, based on a three-level metric that rested largely on the Illinois Scholastic Assessment Test results. All of the schools on the list were situated in communities largely populated by minority students, which further complicated the issue.

Parents rose up

Parents can play a significant role in the academic success of their children. Unfortunately, many parents don’t realize the importance of involvement in a child’s school career and are not sure how to get involved constructively. Too much or too little parental involvement sometimes becomes detrimental to the child – a difficult obstacle for many to overcome. The good news is that you can take relatively easy steps to show your child you are interested in his or her school work and offer the necessary help and support along the way.

The Parent-Child Relationship

A successful school experience begins at home, with the relationship between the parent and child. This process involves developing good habits at home that your child will easily adapt to during the school year. It also incorporates nurturing a comfortable, trusting relationship with your child that will make him more willing to come to you when problems and challenges in the school environment do occur. Some of the ways to encourage your child’s success in school include:

This TED Talk discusses 5 Parenting Tips for Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant Kids.

Good Habits

Good home habits will limit distractions and put schoolwork at the forefront throughout the academic year. First, instill a love of reading in your child, by keeping plenty of interesting books at home and reading together on a regular basis. Let your child see you sit down with a