Of the 638 students at Best Elementary School in Houston, 599 (94%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to Houston Republic’s analysis of STAAR scores from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
The TEA considers students to be on track for college if they demonstrate mastery of the course content through the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Students who meet, but do not master their grade level are “prepared to progress to the next grade,” but not yet on college track.
In the 2023-24 school year, Best Elementary School’s student population was made up of 638 students, of which 540 were Hispanic and 77 African American students.
Data shows that 5.9% of Best Elementary School’s Hispanic students (32) and 3.9% of its African American students (3) had “mastered” their grade level that year and were “on track for college and career readiness,” as measured by state academic standards.
In the 2022-23 school year, the TEA noted that 647 Best Elementary School students – equivalent to 96% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 94%, marking a 2% decrease from the previous year.
A recent study by WalletHub classified Texas as one of the least-educated states in the U.S., ranking it 41st out of 50 in educational quality and student outcomes.
Underfunding is a frequently cited challenge facing the state’s school district. According to a 2024 report from the Texas Education Agency, per-pupil funding has not increased since 2019, despite inflation rates rising by more than 20% since then.
“As a result, many districts in our very own Central Texas region are being forced to cut back on essential programs, services, consider school closures, and adopt deficit budgets just to provide students with the education that they deserve,” Hutto ISD Trustee James Matlock stated in an interview.
| School | Total Students | % On College Track |
|---|---|---|
| Albright Middle School | 999 | 18% |
| Alexander Elementary School | 693 | 19% |
| Alief Early College High School | 408 | 39% |
| Alief Middle School | 802 | 13% |
| Best Elementary School | 638 | 6% |
| Boone Elementary School | 528 | 6% |
| Budewig Intermediate School | 1,134 | 11% |
| Bush Elementary School | 740 | 10% |
| Chambers Elementary School | 555 | 9% |
| Chancellor Elementary School | 693 | 19% |
| Collins Elementary School | 809 | 9% |
| Cummings Elementary School | 544 | 8% |
| Elsik High School | 4,109 | 10% |
| Hastings High School | 3,866 | 8% |
| Hearne Elementary School | 692 | 9% |
| Heflin Elementary School | 550 | 13% |
| Hicks Elementary School | 688 | 11% |
| Holmquist Elementary School | 764 | 18% |
| Holub Middle School | 724 | 11% |
| Horn Elementary School | 690 | 14% |
| Kennedy Elementary School | 521 | 16% |
| Kerr High School | 806 | 52% |
| Killough Middle School | 769 | 15% |
| Klentzman Intermediate School | 805 | 6% |
| Landis Elementary School | 528 | 11% |
| Liestman Elementary School | 548 | 20% |
| Mahanay Elementary School | 572 | 20% |
| Martin Elementary School | 704 | 17% |
| Mata Intermediate School | 791 | 12% |
| Miller Intermediate School | 780 | 19% |
| O’Donnell Middle School | 1,221 | 16% |
| Olle Middle School | 1,029 | 13% |
| Outley Elementary School | 872 | 23% |
| Owens Intermediate School | 731 | 8% |
| Petrosky Elementary School | 538 | 18% |
| Rees Elementary School | 555 | 18% |
| Smith Elementary School | 633 | 10% |
| Sneed Elementary School | 976 | 11% |
| Taylor High School | 2,852 | 12% |
| Youens Elementary School | 679 | 15% |
| Youngblood Intermediate School | 880 | 14% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
