Entrenched poverty and educational performance are deeply intertwined creating a cycle that could be difficult to break. This work focusses on the nexus between entrenched poverty and educational performance of students in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. Specifically, the work sought to examine how parents’ levels of income and education influences students’ academic performance in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. Primary data was sourced through the use of questionnaire and a sample size of 840 respondents was arrived at. Simple percentages and Chi squared was used to analyse the data and the results show that both parents’ levels of income and education influenced educational performances of the students in the Local Government. It was recommended among others that government should increase funding for Education by allocating more budget to the education sector to improve infrastructure, provide learning materials, and ensure schools are well-equipped. Also prioritize funding for schools in impoverished areas to reduce disparities in educational resources.