Proximity can be deceiving in Gaston County. Schools that are minutes away have test scores that are hundreds of points apart,

A Gazette study has found in Gaston County, as is true in countless other communities, student receive unequal education opportunities depending on their income status and race.

At 43 schools in the county, more than half of the student body qualifies for free and reduced-price lunch.

Of Gaston’s 55 public elementary, middle and high schools, 14 are minority-majority – meaning, the student body is less than 51% white.

And of these 14 schools, 11 are part of Gaston Schools’ CEP program, which offers universally free lunch because so many students qualify for