Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath (2024) | onestarfoundation.org
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath (2024) | onestarfoundation.org
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, Sam Rayburn's student population was made up of 1,173 students, of which 622 were Hispanic, 287 white, 220 African American, 36 multiracial, three Pacific Islander, three Asian, and two American Indian students.
Data shows that 66.7% of Sam Rayburn’s Asian students (2), 33.3% of its Pacific Islander students (1), 34.8% of its white students (100), 33.3% of its multiracial students (12) and 15% of its Hispanic students (93) 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 923 Sam Rayburn students - equivalent to 78% of the student population - were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2022-23, when the percentage stood at 81%, marking a 3% 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.
| School | Total Students | % On College Track |
|---|---|---|
| Alton Bowen Elementary School | 342 | 18% |
| Anson Jones Elementary School | 559 | 16% |
| Arthur L. Davila Middle School | 1,044 | 11% |
| Bonham Elementary School | 525 | 16% |
| Bryan Collegiate High School | 466 | 28% |
| Crockett Elementary School | 424 | 16% |
| Fannin Elementary School | 385 | 13% |
| Henderson Elementary School | 554 | 15% |
| James Earl Rudder High School | 1,769 | 7% |
| Jane Long | 998 | 11% |
| Johnson Elementary School | 539 | 30% |
| Kemp-Carver Elementary School | 503 | 11% |
| Mary Branch Elementary School | 615 | 17% |
| Mitchell Elementary School | 442 | 21% |
| Navarro Elementary School | 422 | 6% |
| Neal Elementary School | 365 | 12% |
| Sam Houston Elementary School | 452 | 37% |
| Sam Rayburn | 1,173 | 19% |
| Stephen F. Austin | 1,206 | 15% |
| Sul Ross Elementary School | 541 | 25% |
| The Mary Catherine Harris School-School of Choice | 169 | 2% |
| Travis B. Bryan High School | 2,418 | 13% |
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