Out-of-School Time programs and their impact on standardized college entrance exam scores for black or African-American children of single parents who have applied for a competitive college scholarship program is the study focus. Study importance is supported by the large percentage of black children raised by single parents, the large percentage of Institutions of Higher Education that require standardized test scores, and the standardized test achievement gap. Three questions guided the study. Question one: To what extent is there a statistically significant difference in mean standardized test scores among black or African-American children of single parents who have applied for a competitive college scholarship program given their participation in Out-of-School Time (OST) programs? An unmatched pairs t-test was applied for this research question. Question two: To what extent is there a statistically significant relationship between OST participation variable and standardized test scores among black or African-American children of single parents who have applied for a competitive college scholarship program? Two sub-questions included gender. A correlation and simple linear regressions were utilized. Question three: To what extent does OST participation contribute by gender to standardized test performance of black or African-American children from single-parent families when controlling for high school GPA and parent education level among a sample of black or African-American children of single parents who have applied for a competitive college scholarship program? level? A multiple regression analysis was utilized for this question. The study produced six findings. Finding one is OST participation does impact standardized test scores. Finding two is OST participation level is associated with higher standardized test scores. Finding three is OST participation contributes more to standardized test scores when compared to males. Finding for is parent education level is not an important standardized test score predictor for this population. Finding five is OST participation accounts for similar or greater test score variance than GPA depending on gender. Finding six is that there is an opportunity to improve the opportunity students have to gain admittance to more selective institutions through increased standardized test scores by investing in OST programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]