College Station Today

Of the 513 students at Cypress Grove Intermediate School in College Station, 400 (78%) 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, Cypress Grove Intermediate School's student population was made up of 513 students, of which 269 were white, 110 Hispanic, 78 African American, 32 Asian, 18 multiracial, four American Indian, and two Pacific Islander students.

Data shows that 53.1% of Cypress Grove Intermediate School’s Asian students (17), 27.9% of its white students (75), 25% of its American Indian students (1), 50% of its Pacific Islander students (1) and 11.1% of its multiracial students (2) 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 394 Cypress Grove Intermediate School students - equivalent to 73% of the student population - were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2022-23, when the percentage stood at 78%, marking a 5% 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
A & M Consolidated High School	2,138	27%
A & M Consolidated Middle School	710	31%
College Hills Elementary	594	14%
College Station High School	2,134	33%
College Station Middle	645	25%
College View High School	122	22%
Creek View Elementary School	472	21%
Cypress Grove Intermediate School	513	22%
Forest Ridge	508	38%
Greens Prairie Elementary School	551	32%
Oakwood Intermediate School	718	29%
Pebble Creek Elementary School	574	32%
Pecan Trail Intermediate School	830	41%
River Bend Elementary School	514	26%
Rock Prairie Elementary School	604	22%
South Knoll Elementary School	609	21%
Southwood Valley Elementary School	653	18%
Spring Creek Elementary School	648	35%
Wellborn Middle School	841	37%

Source: Texas Education Agency.