You have the power, fight for the change now

Image c/o Mt Diablo Unified School District

By Lizeth De La Cruz
Visiting Columnist 

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In this country, we all legally have to be enrolled in school from Kinder to 12th grade, therefore this research is meant to serve as a call to action appealing to all human beings. Public high schools are specifically meant to prepare their students for a life post-graduation as they see their students come in as teenagers and leave as young adults. Yet, only the students who attend high schools located in expensive cities have the privilege of receiving this. But how, exactly, does a public high school’s location impact a student’s access and preparation for a higher education? 

Schools with higher amounts of lower-income students are given fewer resources to prepare for higher education and I first handily saw the lack of resources within my school district, Mount Diablo Unified. I compared the demographics of two schools in this district,  Northgate High School which is located in Walnut Creek, a much more expensive zipcode to live in compared to Mount Diablo High School, located in Concord. According to the US News World Report, it stated that “64% of students” at Northgate took an AP exam and in their entire school only “20%” of students are of lower income”. While at Mount Diablo High School only “18% of students took an AP exam” and “75% of their students are of lower income”. These statistics clearly show the correlation between economic status and exam enrollment but what exactly does it mean for students to be considered of lower income? As specified by the National Center for Education Statistics, Mount Diablo had “433 students” who qualified for free lunch while at Northgate only “141 students qualified”. This means that students who are categorized as lower income have to have families who are annually making under what is federally considered as poverty in California. Students who are at an economic advantage have higher enrollment because of districts like Mount Diablo Unified which only provide the most funding to schools with higher-income students. Advanced Placement exams are meant to prepare students for the rigors of college while also allowing them to earn college credits to lower the cost of their education. Sadly, without having access to proper resources like college and career centers this information is almost impossible for students to learn about.  

This is a call to action for humanity as a whole as we must fight for the proper resources amongst all schools, not just those in wealthy neighborhoods. This matters because the minds being educated in high school are all the future workers of America. By helping fight we are ensuring that all future generations will have the equal opportunity to break through generational poverty and obtain a bachelor's degree while securing a high-paying job. But, the only way this is achievable is if districts like Mount Diablo Unified promise to have a college and career center with at least two counselors across all high schools. Students, I urge you to fight for your peers while advocating for them by sharing this information with others including your parents as having a proper education is a right, not a privilege.  

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