Social class is a/the dominant factor in determining student's SAT scores. As SAT scores are often more impactful than a students GPA as far as college admissions, one could argue that social class is the pivotal component in the decided fate of one's educational future past high school.
References:
All Retrieved Feb 9 - Feb 15, 2015
Belz, H. F. & Geary, D. C. (1984) Father’s Occupation and Social Background: Relation to SAT Scores
American Educational Research Journal Vol. 21, 473-478
Buchmann, C., Condron, D. J., & Roscigno, V. J. (2010) Shadow Education, American Style: Test Preparation, the SAT, and College Enrollment
Social Forces Vol. 89, 435-461
Eberle, J. L. & Peltier, G. L. (1989) Is The SAT Biased? A Review of Research
American Secondary Education Vol. 18, 17-24
Freedle, R. O. (2003) Correcting the SATs Ethnic and Social-Class Bias
Harvard Educational Review Vol. 73 No. 1
Ream, R. K. & Palardy, G. J. (2008) Reexamining Social Class Differences in the Availability and the Educational Utility of Parental Social Capital
American Educational Research Journal Vol. 45, 238-273
Subtirlu, N. (2014) Shibboleths of Social Class: On the Obscurity of SAT Vocabulary
linguisticpulse.com
Zwick, R. & Green, J. G. (2007) New Perspectives on the Correlation of SAT Scores, High School Grades and Socioeconomic Factors
Journal of Educational Measurement Vol. 44, 23-45
