Does the Double Reduction Policy Mitigate the Academic Gaps Caused by SES and Urban-Rural Settings?

How to effectively reduce academic disparities and promote educational equity has attracted much attention in recent years. Introduced in China in 2021, the Double Reduction Policy (DRP) seeks to advance fairness in education, yet its effectiveness remains widely debated. This study critically examines the implications of the DRP, focusing on its role in narrowing achievement gaps across socioeconomic groups and between urban-rural students, as well as its impact on equalizing educational outcomes. Using national data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) for 2020 and 2022, a quantitative comparative approach is employed to assess policy effects. Statistical analyses explore variations across socioeconomic and regional contexts. The findings indicate that the DRP has contributed to reducing urban–rural disparities (narrowed by 0.283, p  < .01) and weakening the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on achievement (SES × Policy = −0.363, p  < .01). Yet, parents continue to assume that family and school influences are the most significant for their children’s performance, regardless of what the evidence shows as an equalizer. Hence, notable inequalities persist offering important insights for advancing equity-oriented and sustainable reforms.