Of the 1,188 students at Bryant Elementary School in Brookshire, 795 (67%) weren’t on track for college in the 2023-24 school year, according to West Houston News’ 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, Bryant Elementary School’s student population was made up of 1,188 students, of which 416 were white, 248 Hispanic, 230 Asian, 209 African American, and 82 multiracial students.
Data shows that 55.7% of Bryant Elementary School’s Asian students (128), 29.8% of its white students (124), 26.8% of its African American students (56), 26.8% of its multiracial students (22) and 25.8% of its Hispanic students (64) 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 870 Bryant Elementary School students – equivalent to 76% of the student population – were not on the academic path to college eligibility. This contrasts with 2023-24, when the percentage stood at 67%, marking a 9% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Adams Junior High School | 1,864 | 59% |
| Bear Creek Elementary School | 641 | 12% |
| Beckendorff Junior High School | 1,688 | 65% |
| Bethke Elementary School | 959 | 22% |
| Bonnie Holland Elementary School | 805 | 43% |
| Bryant Elementary School | 1,188 | 33% |
| Campbell Elementary School | 1,300 | 49% |
| Cardiff Junior High School | 817 | 17% |
| Cimarron Elementary School | 564 | 11% |
| Cinco Ranch High School | 3,754 | 42% |
| Cinco Ranch Junior High School | 1,500 | 51% |
| Diane Winborn Elementary School | 733 | 17% |
| Edna Mae Fielder Elementary School | 919 | 36% |
| Franz Elementary School | 1,084 | 14% |
| Fred and Patti Shafer Elementary School | 1,043 | 48% |
| Garland McMeans Junior High School | 1,168 | 59% |
| Griffin Elementary School | 753 | 57% |
| Haskett Junior High School | 1,359 | 19% |
| Hazel School Pattison Elementary | 1,235 | 56% |
| Jack & Sharon Rhoads Elementary School | 756 | 13% |
| James E. Randolph Elementary School | 1,029 | 48% |
| James E. Williams Elementary School | 909 | 40% |
| Jean & Betty Schmalz Elementary School | 1,206 | 17% |
| Jeanette Hayes Elementary School | 601 | 34% |
| Jenks Elementary School | 1,446 | 41% |
| Joella Exley Elementary School | 914 | 34% |
| Jordan High School | 3,128 | 53% |
| Katy Elementary School | 698 | 26% |
| Katy High School | 3,497 | 29% |
| Katy Junior High School | 1,166 | 30% |
| Keiko Davidson Elementary School | 994 | 44% |
| Leonard Elementary School | 1,011 | 16% |
| Loraine T. Golbow Elementary School | 684 | 22% |
| Maurice L. Wolfe Elementary School | 416 | 28% |
| Mayde Creek Elementary School | 839 | 18% |
| Mayde Creek High School | 2,969 | 16% |
| Mayde Creek Junior High School | 1,239 | 16% |
| McElwain Elementary School | 884 | 20% |
| McRoberts Elementary School | 834 | 22% |
| Memorial Parkway Elementary School | 939 | 14% |
| Memorial Parkway Junior High School | 771 | 39% |
| Morton Ranch Elementary School | 975 | 16% |
| Morton Ranch High School | 2,829 | 16% |
| Morton Ranch Junior High School | 1,185 | 17% |
| Nottingham Country Elementary School | 839 | 38% |
| Odessa Kilpatrick Elementary School | 1,032 | 55% |
| Opport Awareness Center | 267 | 14% |
| Paetow High School | 3,692 | 19% |
| Ray and Jamie Wolman Elementary School | 1,025 | 44% |
| Robert King Elementary School | 965 | 13% |
| Roberta Wright Rylander Elementary School | 1,074 | 37% |
| Rodger & Ellen Beck Junior High School | 1,269 | 51% |
| Roosevelt Alexander Elementary School | 1,020 | 53% |
| Seven Lakes High School | 3,718 | 58% |
| Seven Lakes Junior High School | 1,607 | 65% |
| Stanley C. Stanley Elementary School | 885 | 58% |
| Stockdick Junior High School | 1,405 | 28% |
| Sue Creech Elementary School | 815 | 38% |
| Sundown Elementary School | 752 | 8% |
| T. H. McDonald Junior High School | 1,007 | 20% |
| Taylor High School | 3,188 | 39% |
| Tays Junior High School | 1,467 | 59% |
| Tom Wilson Elementary School | 1,119 | 51% |
| Tompkins High School | 3,061 | 52% |
| Ursula Stephens Elementary School | 583 | 22% |
| West Memorial Elementary School | 816 | 11% |
| West Memorial Junior High School | 911 | 21% |
| Woodcreek Elementary School | 1,319 | 47% |
| Woodcreek Junior High School | 1,569 | 45% |
| Zelma Hutsell Elementary School | 769 | 14% |
Source: Texas Education Agency.
