This quantitative study provides an in-depth look at the effectiveness of preschool participation while examining other factors that impact school readiness. The five research questions focused on preschool participation or non-participation, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and school community identity. The researcher conducted descriptive statistics and utilized the Chi-Square test to analyze the participant demographics and report the results for frequency and significance. The researcher used inferential statistics to address the research questions mainly to determine if there were significant differences between students who participate in prekindergarten and those who do not as measured by the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. The study revealed that gender does not play a significant role in school preparedness. Ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and school community identification were all significant when considering Kindergarten Readiness results as determined by the crosstabulation tables. White students outperformed all other ethnicity groups in Demonstrating Readiness whether they participated in a preschool program or not. Students attending non-Title I schools outperformed by scoring Demonstrating Readiness than students attending schools that received Title I funds regardless of their preschool participation or not. Kindergarten Readiness scores for students attending rural schools were higher than urban schools but lower than suburban schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]