The Florida School Recognition Program (FSRP) was created by the Florida legislature in 1997 to provide an incentive to schools that achieve specific standards-based goals. Achievement is measured primarily through the state's high-stakes test, the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. Through analysis of FSRP awards, it is established that poverty and race influence these awards. This analysis considers the larger context and implications of this influence. Ultimately, it is asserted that such policies may act to legitimate and further entrench social stratification. (Contains 3 figures, 4 tables and 5 notes.)