The Interactive Impact of Race and Gender on High School Advanced Course Enrollment

Data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction archive are used to assess the joint effect of race and gender on advanced academic (advanced placement and honors) course enrollment within a school district with an open enrollment policy. Using student SAT scores; the authors compare expected levels of advanced course enrollment for White and Black males and females to actual advanced course enrollment. The results generally reveal race to be a stronger predictor of class enrollment than gender. White students, regardless of gender, tend to enroll in advanced academic courses at a higher rate than do Black students. However, when comparing actual to expected enrollment based on average SAT scores, there does appear to be a gendered difference within each racial category. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings framed by an open enrollment policy are discussed.