Analysis: 490 of 591 students at Caldwell High School not on "college track" in 2022-23 school year

Texas State Board Of Education Vice Chair Pam Little (2024) | pamlittle.com

By College Station Today

Jan 12, 2024

Of the 591 students at Caldwell High School in Caldwell, 490 (83%) weren’t on track for college in the 2022-23 school year, according to College Station Today'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 2022-23 school year, Caldwell High School's student population was made up of 591 students, of which 288 were white, 233 Hispanic, 38 African American, 28 multiracial, and three Asian students.

Data shows that 25% of Caldwell High School’s multiracial students (7), 25% of its white students (72), 33.3% of its Asian students (1), 10.5% of its African American students (4) and 7.7% of its Hispanic students (18) had "mastered" their grade level that year and were "on track for college and career readiness," as measured by state academic standards.

In the 2021-22 school year, the TEA noted that 454 Caldwell High School students - equivalent to 79% of the student population - were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2022-23, when the percentage stood at 83%, marking a 4% increase 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.

Students On and Off College Track by Race at Caldwell High School in 2022-23 School Year