Of the 410 students at Iltexas Houston Orem Middle School in Houston, 389 (95%) 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, Iltexas Houston Orem Middle School’s student population was made up of 410 students, of which 212 were African American, 186 Hispanic, and seven multiracial students.
Data shows that 14.3% of Iltexas Houston Orem Middle School’s multiracial students (1), 5.9% of its Hispanic students (11) and 2.8% of its African American students (6) 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 428 Iltexas Houston Orem Middle School students – equivalent to 95% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This continued with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 95%.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Iltexas Aggieland High School | 247 | 26% |
| Iltexas Arlington Elementary School | 669 | 7% |
| Iltexas Arlington Middle School | 398 | 13% |
| Iltexas Arlington-Grand Prairie High School | 757 | 11% |
| Iltexas College Station Elementary | 945 | 15% |
| Iltexas College Station Middle | 415 | 21% |
| Iltexas East Fort Worth Elementary School | 634 | 4% |
| Iltexas East Fort Worth Middle School | 320 | 5% |
| Iltexas Garland Elementary School | 941 | 14% |
| Iltexas Garland High School | 600 | 15% |
| Iltexas Garland Middle School | 467 | 16% |
| Iltexas Grand Prairie Elementary School | 931 | 8% |
| Iltexas Grand Prairie Middle School | 464 | 13% |
| Iltexas Houston Orem Elementary School | 733 | 3% |
| Iltexas Houston Orem Middle School | 410 | 5% |
| Iltexas Houston Windmill Lakes Elementary School | 802 | 4% |
| Iltexas Houston Windmill Lakes Middle School | 450 | 6% |
| Iltexas Houston Windmill Lakes Orem High School | 727 | 8% |
| Iltexas Katy Elementary School | 939 | 16% |
| Iltexas Katy Middle School | 435 | 15% |
| Iltexas Katy Westpark High School | 855 | 20% |
| Iltexas Keller Elementary School | 949 | 24% |
| Iltexas Keller Middle School | 435 | 28% |
| Iltexas Keller Saginaw High School | 809 | 14% |
| Iltexas Lancaster Desoto High School | 167 | 6% |
| Iltexas Lancaster Elementary School | 717 | 3% |
| Iltexas Lancaster Middle School | 383 | 4% |
| Iltexas North Richland Hills Elementary School | 766 | 6% |
| Iltexas North Richland Hills Middle School | 391 | 8% |
| Iltexas Saginaw Elementary School | 906 | 9% |
| Iltexas Saginaw Middle School | 377 | 13% |
| Iltexas Westpark Elementary School | 783 | 20% |
| Iltexas Westpark Middle School | 444 | 17% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
