What do we call the differences in academic performance among various student demographics?

The term "achievement gaps" specifically refers to the disparities in academic performance that exist between different groups of students, often categorized by demographics such as race, socioeconomic status, and other factors. This term emphasizes the differences in educational outcomes and highlights the inequities that can arise from systemic issues in the educational system.

Using "achievement gaps" draws attention to the measures of performance such as test scores, graduation rates, and other indicators of educational success, effectively underscoring the need for targeted interventions to address these gaps. While educational disparities, performance variations, and learning inequalities may describe related concepts, "achievement gaps" is the widely accepted terminology in education policy and research to discuss this phenomenon in detail.