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A persistent inequity in the United States is the gap between minority and White students, which has been proven to be difficult to close. Prevalent ethnic and racial inequities in education follow a pattern in which African Americans, American Indians, and Latinos systematically underperform academically, compared to Caucasians and Asian Americans. Educational inequities are evident in markers of low academic performance and graduation rates. In 2016–17, the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rates (ACGRs) for minority public high school students were below the United States average of 85 percent: American Indian/Alaska Native 72 percent, Black 78 percent, and Hispanic 80 percent (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018).See Figure 2.5.

Figure 2.5 Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) for Public High School Students, by Race/Ethnicity: 2016–17

Source: Public High School Graduation Rates, U.S. Department of Education, 2018.

An overarching goal of Healthy People 2030 is to “eliminate health disparities, achieve health equity, and attain health literacy to improve the health and well-being of all.” Low education and income levels are associated with health illiteracy, which has been identified as a critical factor contributing to health inequities (Paasche-Orlow & Wolf, 2010), and national data confirm that health inequities are exacerbated by the prevalence and severity of limited health literacy. Health literacy is generally referred to as the ability to apply literacy skills to health situations at home, work, and the community.