More than 50 percent of public school students in United States come from low-income families according to a new analysis of 2013 educational data from the National Center for Education Statistics, a statistic the country has not seen in at least 50 years. 

Fifty-one percent of students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade were eligible for a free or reduced-priced lunch federal program during the 2012-2013 school year. 

The data showed that students from low-income households comprised at least 40 percent of all public schoolchildren in 40 of the 50 states. Children eligible for free or reduced-price lunches were a majority of the students in 2013 in 21 states. 

North Carolina is one of the 21 states with a majority. Fifty-three percent of students in public schools in North Carolina come from low-income families.

According to The Washington Post, children from low-income homes have a much harder time catching up, as they are less likely to have support at home or to participate in as many enriching activities outside of school. They are also more likely to drop out and never attend college than more privileged peers. 

Geographically, the states with a majority of low-income students are mostly in the South and the West. Of the 21 states with a majority of low-income students in 2013, 13 are located in the South and six are located in the West.

Mississippi has the highest rate of low-income students in the nation at 71 percent, meaning nearly three in every four students in the state come from low-income households. New Mexico had the nation’s second-highest rate with 68 percent.