Latinx Students' Educational Expectations: The Role of Near Poverty Status and Intersectionality

The impact of poverty on educational expectations has been well documented, but few have considered the longitudinal impact of being near poor. This study contributes to that literature by employing a national sample of Latinx high school students - separately for male and female students - to better understand the impact of near poverty, demographic variables, and academic capital on educational aspirations. Because near-poor families have household incomes above the federal poverty-line, they are often unable to access welfare state programs (i.e. housing, food, and health) since these households are not technically classified as poor. Our findings highlight that near poverty status has a significant and robust negative impact on the educational attainment expectations of Latinx high school students while also pointing to the role of America's durable racialized structures in undermining the capacity of too many Latinx students' access to quality education.