The purpose of this study investigated the role of K-12 education in breaking the cycle of poverty in the Southeastern Public School District, focusing on the relationship between school-level poverty and key student outcomes: (a) graduation rates, (b) job placement, and (c) college acceptance. This study assessed the timing of federal-, state-, and local educational policies from 2009-2019 and sought to find the relationship between the outcomes within the district from 2010-2019 and the timing of policies geared towards the schools within the Southeastern Public School District. Using a causal-comparative design, the study examined trends over a period from 2010-2019, employing descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze publicly available data. The first research question explored these outcomes in high-poverty schools (i.e., schools with a student population on reduced or free lunch program of 90% or higher), revealing that although graduation rates declined from a peak of 78.2% in 2010 to 57.0% in 2012, a positive upward trend followed, with annual increases of 0.8%. Job placement in high-poverty schools similarly showed an upward trajectory, increasing by 2.2% per year. However, college acceptance rates in these schools experienced a negative trend, falling from 60.2% in 2010 to 47.1% by 2016. The second research question compared these outcomes between high- and low-poverty schools using mixed ANOVA. Although graduation rates were consistently lower in high-poverty schools, the differences between high- and low-poverty schools were not statistically significant. Job placement rates in low-poverty schools began lower but remained stable, and college acceptance rates were higher than those in high-poverty schools, maintaining relative stability throughout the study period. These findings underscored the persistent disparities in educational outcomes based on the level socioeconomic status, though the lack of statistical significance in some measures suggested the need for further investigation. The study concluded by discussing the broader implications of these results, offering policy recommendations aimed at reducing educational inequality and proposing directions for future research on the intersection of poverty and education. [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.]