We investigate the determinants of high school students’ academic attainment inmaths, reading and science; focusing particularly on possible effects that ethnicity andfamily background may have on attainment. Using data from the NELS2000 andemploying quantile regression techniques, we find two important results. First, thegaps in maths, reading and science test scores among ethnic groups vary across theconditional quantiles of the measured test scores. Specifically, Blacks and Hispanicstend to fare worse in their attainment at higher quantiles, particularly in science.Secondly, the effects of family background factors such as parental education andfather’s occupation also vary across quantiles of the test score distribution. Theimplication of these findings is that the commonly made broad distinction on whetherone is from a privileged/disadvantaged ethnic and/or family background may not tellthe whole story that the academic attainment discourse has to note. Interventionsaimed at closing the gap in attainment between Whites and minorities may need totarget higher levels of the test score distribution.
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