Nearly 1 in 20 school-age children in Colorado who are living in households without internet. This brief is designed to help Colorado leaders and decision makers better understand who these children are, where they live, and how Colorado’s digital divide has the potential to widen the state’s existing educational achievement gap. Specifically, the 54,000 school-age children in Colorado living in households reporting no internet access are:
- Overwhelmingly Hispanic: Two-thirds of children living without internet are Hispanic.
- Disproportionally Young: 49 percent of children without internet access are in elementary school.
- Largely Lower Income: 52 percent of children without internet live in households earning less than $50,000, with 25 percent in households learning less than $25,000.
- Geographically Dispersed: These children live in all regions of the state, but in higher numbers in Southwest Colorado and in the metro Denver region.
- Children of Essential Workers: A majority, 57 percent, of these children have at least one parent working in an essential industry.
