Socioeconomic Status and Diagnosed Disability Relationship in a Disadvantaged Rural Junior-Senior High School

This study employed a quantitative experimental correlational (action research) design utilizing Pearson's r correlation coefficient to determine whether or not there was a statistically significant relationship between students' socioeconomic status and having a diagnosed disability at one economically disadvantaged public, rural, co-educational junior-senior high school in the northeast region of the United States. Data from students in grades 6-8 who were considered economically disadvantaged were analyzed. It was determined that there is little to no correlation between students' socioeconomic status and having a diagnosed disability at the school utilized in this study. However, additional analyses indicated that almost 70% of students with a diagnosed disability were also economically disadvantaged, which suggested that a causation analysis is recommended for future study.