Social Inequality and Access to Quality Education: A Sociological Analysis of Class Differences

Social class is a strong indicator of access to quality education worldwide. However, the processes by which such inequalities develop in developing countries such as Nigeria remain poorly understood. This paper explored the connection between social categorisation and educational access among 512 families with school-going children across three geopolitical areas (South-West, South-East, and North-Central). A cross-sectional survey design was employed, in which respondents provided information on family income, parental education, occupational status, wealth indicators, school quality, academic achievement, preparation for higher education, home learning environment, parental involvement, cultural capital, and educational barriers. The results showed strong correlations between indicators of social class and educational outcomes (r = - .67, p < .001), with parental education and family income as the strongest predictors. Hierarchical regression indicated that social class accounted for 26.8% of the variance in academic achievement, along with demographic and mediating variables, which together accounted for 57.5% of the total variance. According to the ANOVA results, there were significant differences across income groups, with high-income families obtaining higher-quality schools and better academic results (0.34 -0.38). Mediation tests indicated that workplace quality of schools, family learning condition, and cultural capital were partial moderators of the impact of social status, with 30 35% of the reported relations. The research laments the widespread educational inequalities and calls for multifaceted interventions in areas such as school funding equity, access to early childhood education, family economic stability, and institutional-level practices to reduce inequalities and enhance educational outcomes.