As Virus Keeps Kids From Schools, New Figures Show Millions Lack Home Internet

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The US Census Bureau estimates that nearly 1-in-10 households with school-aged children lack a consistent internet connection that can be used for educational purposes at a time when millions of kids have been forced out of classrooms by the coronavirus. Among 60 million households with children in public or private schools, about 5.4 million, or just over 9%, have internet available only “sometimes,” “rarely,” or “never” for educational purposes, the estimates suggest. About 3.2 million of those households with limited internet service earned under $35,000 a year, meaning that among 16.6 million households captured by the data that earned less than that sum, about 20% are lacking dependable internet access. The findings also highlight disparities by race. About 16% (1.4 million out of 9.2 million) of black households with school-aged kids are estimated to “sometimes,” “rarely,” or “never” have an internet connection for educational purposes. The same is true for just 7% (2.2 million of 32 million) of white households. The figure for Hispanic and Latino households was about 10% (1.3 million of 13 million).


As Virus Keeps Kids From Schools, New Figures Show Millions Lack Home Internet