We investigate the determinants of high school students’ academic attainment in
maths, reading and science; focusing particularly on possible effects that ethnicity and
family background may have on attainment. Using data from the NELS2000 and
employing quantile regression techniques, we find two important results. First, the
gaps in maths, reading and science test scores among ethnic groups vary across the
conditional quantiles of the measured test scores. Specifically, Blacks and Hispanics
tend to fare worse in their attainment at higher quantiles, particularly in science.
Secondly, the effects of family background factors such as parental education and
father’s occupation also vary across quantiles of the test score distribution. The
implication of these findings is that the commonly made broad distinction on whether
one is from a privileged/disadvantaged ethnic and/or family background may not tell
the whole story that the academic attainment discourse has to note. Interventions
aimed at closing the gap in attainment between Whites and minorities may need to
target higher levels of the test score distribution.