One of the biggest problems Americans face today is the disappointing academic performance of an American student. Compared to other countries, the United States ranks 18th in math proficiency and 25th in reading proficiency. The problem is not just a standard problem across the country, as there is a lot of variation between graduation rates and literacy rates, with huge differences even between schools alone. These statistics are disappointing because the United States is considered one of the world's major powers. Disparities in the academic achievement of American students are also harmful because they are less able to compete in the global marketplace. Many things have been used to explain this disparity, but race has often been the primary explanation. Racial disparities in academic achievement have also led to pieces of legislation, such as the Hispanic Education Act, that focus on improving test scores in New Mexico's minority students. While there is a correlation between race and academic performance, I believe there are other factors, such as economic class, that have a profound effect on a student's academic performance. If my hypothesis is correct, further literature analysis should show that discrepancies between students of different socioeconomic status influence a student's academic achievement the most. Literature Review: Race is just one of many factors that have been shown to have an effect on student academic performance. Commonly researched factors include socioeconomic status, race, gender, and location. Of all the factors mentioned, socioeconomic factors have been shown to be the strongest indicator of academic performance (Lee et all.,2008). It is expected that only 7% of students with low socioeconomic success… at the halfway point… with low socioeconomic status. The New Mexico Legislature's continued failure to act on this much larger category of students will continue to slow the state's economic growth and limit students' abilities to compete in the global marketplace. The focus on race as a factor in economic success has arguably become the most popular factor to address due to racial tensions still occurring today. If the sought-after gaps between socioeconomic status levels were used as a new focus for improvement, the state legislature could better meet the needs of far more students. As research has shown, socioeconomic status is much more influential. Taking steps to address the needs of low socioeconomic status students would not only be an investment in the future of the state of New Mexico, but would also greatly benefit American society.