My family made noticeably less than that, even considering inflation since then. In my home town the average family income is around half that in today’s dollars. I’m a high income SWE now. Growing up in a <$75k HH income family doesn’t imply grim prospects, that’s typical middle class. Everyone I grew up with would consider $75k high income bordering on rich.
They won’t be Able to make it to a career in science. Since you need a PHD or at least a masters to do it you need to go through some top tier universities and invest some serious $$ into it. Science is for love is only a marginally better career choice than art.