This fact sheet highlights the statistics of the status of the African American students living in the continental United States in terms of: population; graduation, dropouts, and preparedness; schools, segregation, and teacher quality; and special, gifted, and college preparatory education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, African American students made up 16 percent of the public school population in 2004. These students, disproportionately concentrated in high-poverty, low-performing schools, are vulnerable to poor educational outcomes that undermine their chances for success in life. In 2005, only 55 percent of all black students graduated from high school on time with a regular diploma, compared to 78 percent of whites. More than 60 percent of black students attend schools where more than 50 percent of the school population is identified as living in poverty, compared to 18 percent of white students. In 2004, 13 percent of African American students aged six to twenty-one received services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, compared to 9 percent of the total student population. (Contains 20 endnotes.)