The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 propelled high stakes testing to an unprecedented level of significance. Decisions based on the results of such mandated assessments is flawed in that the tests are not an accurate measure of actual knowledge and neglect to address environmental, socio-cultural, and economic factors influencing student performance. This researcher does not claim to tell a new story, but it seems one that bears repeating. The results of this quantitative investigation further illustrate that variables such as median income and per pupil revenue have an undeniable impact on the academic success of students.