High School Physics Offerings by Socioeconomic Profile

This fall we have been examining physics classes in U.S. high schools by the principal's assessment of the socioeconomic profile of each school.¹ This month we turn our focus to the distribution of high school physics enrollment across the different types of physics offered. Not only do fewer students take physics at “worse off” schools (see the October issue), but the types of physics courses students take also differs by socioeconomic profile. About 10% of the students taking physics at “worse off” schools take AP and second-year physics; almost 20% of the students at “better off” schools take these courses. At “worse off” schools, a higher proportion of students are enrolled in conceptual courses, including Physics First and regular physics taught using a conceptual textbook. The data we have presented over the last four months suggests that differences in physics taking in high school by blacks and Hispanics are driven, in part, by underlying socioeconomic factors. Other factors, such as the availability of additional seats in physics classes and the ability of teachers to attract students to physics, also impact physics taking. It is unlikely that the racial and ethnic differences in physics taking in high school will decrease unless the underlying factors are addressed.